Verifying Acceptance Criteria
Use this skill when readiness depends on evidence rather than optimism. It helps compare the stated contract of a feature with what the implementation actually proves today.
When to Use
- •verify a feature against acceptance criteria before sign-off
- •review a build, PR, or live environment for readiness
- •separate met requirements from partial or missing behavior
- •expose criteria that are too vague to verify honestly
- •prepare a QA-ready verification matrix for release or handoff
Verification Rules
- •Source of truth must be explicit - story, AC list, PRD slice, or ticket text.
- •Do not fill requirement gaps silently - unclear criteria become
Untestable, not invented behavior. - •One criterion, one verdict - split compound criteria into atomic items before judging them.
- •Evidence beats intuition - every verdict should point to observable code, UI, API behavior, logs, or test evidence.
- •Partial is a valid status - it is better than pretending a near-miss is complete.
Workflow
Phase 0: Gather both sides of the comparison
Collect:
- •the acceptance criteria or equivalent source of truth
- •implementation evidence such as code changes, screenshots, API responses, a running URL, or exploratory notes
- •the environment or build under review
If either side is missing, ask for it before continuing.
Phase 1: Normalize the criteria
Convert the input into atomic criteria with stable IDs such as AC-001, AC-002, and AC-003.
If a criterion mixes multiple expectations, split it.
If a criterion is vague, keep it but mark it as a likely Untestable candidate until evidence proves otherwise.
Phase 2: Verify each criterion
Use these verdicts:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Met | The implementation clearly satisfies the criterion |
| Partial | Some of the criterion is implemented, but not all of it |
| Not Met | No convincing evidence of implementation exists |
| Untestable | The criterion is too vague or ambiguous to verify honestly |
For every criterion, capture:
- •the verdict
- •the evidence
- •any assumptions, blockers, or follow-up questions
Phase 3: Summarize readiness
Group the result into:
- •Ready - criteria clearly met
- •Needs follow-up - partial or not met
- •Needs clarification - untestable or ambiguous
Do not collapse these into a single optimistic conclusion. If there are meaningful gaps, call them out plainly.
Phase 4: Recommend the next move
Depending on what the matrix shows:
- •fix missing behavior
- •clarify the criteria upstream
- •add or adjust tests
- •re-run verification after evidence improves
Use ./resources/ac-verification-template.md when possible.
Common Failure Modes
- •verifying against a fuzzy paraphrase instead of the real acceptance criteria
- •treating partial implementation as complete
- •hiding ambiguity in prose instead of using an explicit status
- •failing to cite evidence for the verdict
- •collapsing multiple criteria into one vague pass/fail judgment
Resource Map
- •
./resources/ac-verification-template.md- structure for the verification matrix and readiness summary
Related Skills
- •
analyzing-regression-scope- when change impact needs tactical retest planning - •
designing-functional-tests- when unmet criteria need new scenarios or manual cases - •
requirements-test-coverage-mapper- when full traceability across test levels is required - •
reporting-bugs- when a failed criterion should become a defect ticket
Definition of Done
This skill is complete when:
- •every meaningful criterion has a stable ID
- •each criterion has an explicit status
- •every verdict points to evidence or a clearly stated gap
- •ambiguity is visible instead of hidden
- •the summary makes sign-off risk obvious