CTFL 4.5.2: Classify the different options for writing acceptance criteria
K2Syllabus section 4.5.2
3 original PrepBench practice questions for learning objective 4.5.2 of the CTFL 4.0 syllabus. Try the examples below and check each answer against its syllabus reference.
Practice questions
Question 1
Acceptance criteria written as "Given the cart contains one item, When the user removes it, Then the cart is empty" follow which of the two most common formats, and which example is typical of it?
- Rule-oriented, for example a bullet point verification list
- Scenario-oriented, for example the Given/When/Then format used in BDD
- Rule-oriented, for example a tabulated form of input-output mapping
- Scenario-oriented, for example an INVEST checklist for the user story
Show answer
- Rule-oriented, for example a bullet point verification listA bullet point verification list is a rule-oriented example, not a scenario.
- Correct answer: Scenario-oriented, for example the Given/When/Then format used in BDDGiven/When/Then is the syllabus's example of the scenario-oriented format.
- Rule-oriented, for example a tabulated form of input-output mappingA tabulated input-output mapping is the other rule-oriented example.
- Scenario-oriented, for example an INVEST checklist for the user storyThe format is right, but INVEST describes properties of a good user story.
The two most common formats for acceptance criteria are scenario-oriented, for example the Given/When/Then format used in behavior-driven development, and rule-oriented, for example a bullet point verification list or a tabulated form of input-output mapping. INVEST is the set of properties a good user story should have, not a format for acceptance criteria.
Syllabus section 4.5.2
Question 2
A team must estimate a user story but cannot agree on its size, because different members picture different amounts of work being in scope. Which contribution of acceptance criteria helps in this situation?
- They record the internal design decisions that the developers will take
- They measure the structural coverage that the acceptance tests achieve
- They allow accurate planning and estimation, by fixing what the story does and does not include
- They assign the user story to the developer who is going to implement it
Show answer
- They record the internal design decisions that the developers will takeInternal design decisions are not among the named uses of acceptance criteria.
- They measure the structural coverage that the acceptance tests achieveStructural coverage is measured by white-box techniques, not by acceptance criteria.
- Correct answer: They allow accurate planning and estimation, by fixing what the story does and does not includeFixing the scope is what makes accurate planning and estimation possible.
- They assign the user story to the developer who is going to implement itAssigning work is not among the named uses of acceptance criteria.
Acceptance criteria are used to define the scope of the user story, reach consensus among the stakeholders, describe both positive and negative scenarios, serve as a basis for the user story acceptance testing, and allow accurate planning and estimation. A disagreement about size that comes from differing pictures of scope is answered by the first and the last of those together.
Syllabus section 4.5.2
Question 3
For a story about withdrawing cash, a team writes down: "a withdrawal is refused when the amount exceeds the account balance". What is this statement?
- A test case, because it states an input together with an expected outcome
- A test procedure, because it describes a sequence of steps for the tester to follow
- A coverage item, because it identifies something that the tests are required to exercise
- An acceptance criterion: a condition the implementation must meet to be accepted by stakeholders
Show answer
- A test case, because it states an input together with an expected outcomeAcceptance criteria may be viewed as test conditions, but they are not the test cases themselves.
- A test procedure, because it describes a sequence of steps for the tester to followNo sequence of steps is given, which is what a test procedure would supply.
- A coverage item, because it identifies something that the tests are required to exerciseCoverage items guide the specification of test case inputs during test design.
- Correct answer: An acceptance criterion: a condition the implementation must meet to be accepted by stakeholdersA condition the implementation must meet to be accepted by stakeholders.
Acceptance criteria for a user story are the conditions that an implementation of the user story must meet to be accepted by stakeholders. From that perspective they may be viewed as the test conditions that should be exercised by the tests, and they are usually a result of the Conversation. They are conditions, not the test cases or procedures later derived from them.
Syllabus section 4.5.2
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