| We’ve all heard it before yet everywhere you look around there are still projects being delivered “an hour late and a dollar short and under-spec”. |
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Begin with the end in mind
The acceptance criteria is essentially the “blueprint” on what the final product should look like, of course taking into account the needs of the senior user and the customer quality expectations. this information is documented as part of the Project Brief in Starting up a Project [SU4] then refined in the Project Initiation document but if you have a serious deliverable you may want to consider producing a separate document (which is why we created a template for you :))
A note on defining criteria
There are many ways to define your criteria but the important thing to remember is that all the criteria need to be measurable and realistic. I would suggest using the S.M.A.R.T. method and the following format to assist you in defining, in detail, the acceptance criteria.
Acceptance Criteria Name
Description of measurement to be applied
- Current level
- Acceptance level (at handover)
- Further level – [Target date]
- Final level – [Target date]
The further level and final level criteria are optional in the Acceptance Criteria template and could be used if you can forecast refinements to the final product once it is handed over to operations.
Filed under: PRINCE2, Templates Tagged: | acceptance criteria, PID, PRINCE2, project brief, Project Initiation Document, quality management, Starting Up a Project, SU4, template
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