Acceptance criteria and Definition of Ready (DoR) are two different concepts used in Agile development methodologies, particularly in Scrum, to ensure that the team understands and delivers the desired features and functionality of a product. While both are essential in their own right, they serve different purposes and are applied at different stages of the development process.
Acceptance criteria, as the name suggests, define the desired behavior or outcome of a particular user story or product backlog item. They are typically written from the perspective of the end user or customer and describe the specific conditions that must be met for the user story to be considered complete and working as intended. Acceptance criteria help the team and stakeholders understand the expected functionality and ensure that the deliverable meets the requirements and expectations.
These acceptance criteria are usually identified and defined during the product backlog refinement or sprint planning sessions, in collaboration with the product owner and development team. They provide clarity and serve as a guide for the team to develop the necessary features and functionality. Acceptance criteria can take various forms, such as specific inputs and outputs, expected system behaviors, edge cases, performance metrics, or even user interface requirements. They help the team validate and verify the implemented functionality against the desired outcomes.
On the other hand, DoR, or Definition of Ready, is a concept used to ensure that a user story or backlog item is ready to be taken into a sprint for development. It acts as a checklist or set of criteria that a user story must meet before it can be considered for implementation. The DoR criteria are typically defined by the development team in collaboration with the product owner, and they may vary between different teams or organizations.
The purpose of DoR is to eliminate any ambiguity or uncertainty in the user stories before they enter the sprint, ensuring that they are well understood by the team and have all the necessary information and prerequisites available. It helps in preventing interruptions and delays during the sprint by ensuring that the user stories are adequately prepared and can be worked on without any dependencies or unresolved issues. The DoR criteria may include aspects such as clear and concise user story descriptions, acceptance criteria defined, dependencies identified, design mockups or wireframes available, and any necessary resources or knowledge required for implementation.
Acceptance criteria define the desired behavior or outcome of a user story, providing clarity and guidance for development, while DoR is a checklist of criteria that a user story must meet before it can be taken into a sprint. Acceptance criteria focus on the end result, whereas DoR focuses on the readiness and prerequisites of a user story for development. Both concepts play crucial roles in ensuring the successful delivery of desired features and functionality in an Agile development environment.