AgileFlow Acceptance Criteria

Purpose

This skill automatically generates detailed, testable acceptance criteria in Given/When/Then (Gherkin) format from feature discussions and requirements.

When This Skill Activates

Load this skill when:

• User describes how a feature should behave
• Discussing user workflows or interactions
• User mentions "acceptance criteria", "test scenarios", "should work like"
• Creating or reviewing user stories
• User describes "when user does X, then Y should happen"

Given/When/Then Format

### AC#: [Criterion Name]
**Given** [initial context or precondition]
**When** [user action or trigger event]
**Then** [expected outcome or system behavior]

Components

Given (Precondition)

The initial state before the action:

• User's current state
• System state
• Data that exists
• Permissions/roles

Examples:

• "Given I am logged in as an admin"
• "Given the shopping cart contains 3 items"
• "Given I am on the product details page"
• "Given dark mode is enabled"

When (Action)

The trigger or user action:

• What the user does
• Event that occurs
• API call made

Examples:

• "When I click the 'Add to Cart' button"
• "When I submit the form"
• "When a new message arrives"
• "When the payment fails"

Then (Outcome)

The expected result:

• What the user sees
• System state changes
• Data modifications
• Error messages
• Notifications

Examples:

• "Then the item is added to my cart"
• "Then I see a success message"
• "Then I am redirected to the dashboard"
• "Then an error message is displayed"

Workflow

1. Listen for behavior descriptions: User explains "when X happens, Y should occur"

2. Extract scenarios:

   • Identify different paths (happy path, error cases, edge cases)
   • Note preconditions for each scenario
   • Capture expected outcomes

3. Generate criteria:

   • Create one AC per distinct scenario
   • Use clear, unambiguous language
   • Make it testable (observable outcome)
   • Include edge cases

4. Add to story: If working on a user story, enhance its AC section

Types of Acceptance Criteria

Happy Path

### AC1: Successful Login
**Given** I am on the login page
**When** I enter valid credentials and click "Login"
**Then** I am redirected to my dashboard
**And** I see a welcome message with my name

Error Handling

### AC2: Invalid Password
**Given** I am on the login page
**When** I enter a valid email but incorrect password
**Then** I see an error message "Invalid credentials"
**And** I remain on the login page
**And** the password field is cleared

Edge Cases

### AC3: Account Locked After Failed Attempts
**Given** I have failed to login 4 times
**When** I attempt to login with incorrect password again
**Then** my account is locked for 30 minutes
**And** I see a message "Account locked. Try again in 30 minutes"
**And** an email is sent to my registered address

Permission-Based

### AC4: Admin-Only Feature Access
**Given** I am logged in as a regular user
**When** I try to access the admin dashboard
**Then** I see a 403 Forbidden error
**And** I am redirected to my user dashboard

Quality Checklist

Good acceptance criteria are:

• Specific: Clearly describes one scenario
• Testable: Can be verified with a test
• Independent: Doesn't depend on order of execution
• Unambiguous: Only one interpretation possible
• Complete: Covers happy path, errors, and edge cases
• User-focused: Written from user's perspective

Common Patterns

Form Validation

### AC1: Email Format Validation
**Given** I am filling out the registration form
**When** I enter an invalid email format (missing @)
**Then** I see an error "Please enter a valid email address"
**And** the submit button remains disabled

State Transitions

### AC2: Order Status Change
**Given** my order status is "Processing"
**When** the warehouse marks it as shipped
**Then** I see the status update to "Shipped"
**And** I receive an email with tracking information

Permissions

### AC3: File Edit Permission
**Given** I have "view-only" access to a document
**When** I try to edit the document
**Then** the edit button is disabled
**And** I see a tooltip "You need edit permissions"

Responsive Behavior

### AC4: Mobile Menu Toggle
**Given** I am viewing the site on a mobile device (width < 768px)
**When** I tap the menu icon
**Then** the navigation menu slides in from the left
**And** I can navigate to any section

Integration with Other Skills

• agileflow-story-writer: Automatically enhances story AC sections
• agileflow-sprint-planner: Helps estimate story complexity from AC count
• agileflow-tech-debt: Identifies missing test coverage from AC

Multiple Conditions (And/But)

Use And for additional conditions:

**Given** I am logged in
**And** I have items in my cart
**When** I click "Checkout"
**Then** I am redirected to payment page
**And** I see my cart summary
**And** I see available payment methods

Use But for contrasting outcomes:

**Given** I am on the search page
**When** I search for "nonexistent product"
**Then** I see "No results found" message
**But** I see suggested categories
**But** the search stays visible for retry

Examples

See examples/ directory for comprehensive AC sets across different feature types.

Notes

• Aim for 3-7 acceptance criteria per story
• Too few = incomplete requirements
• Too many = story should be split
• Cover at least one error case per story
• Include accessibility criteria when relevant
• Consider mobile vs desktop differences
• Think about internationalization if applicable