Success Criteria

Success criteria (SCs) define how you know the feature is done. They are technology-agnostic, measurable, and linked to user value.

Format

SC-001: A new user can create their first task within 30 seconds of landing on the app.
SC-002: Task list loads within 200ms for up to 1,000 tasks.
SC-003: 90% of test users can complete the core workflow without consulting documentation.
SC-004: All P1 user stories pass acceptance tests in CI.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Both types matter:

Type	Example	How to Verify
Quantitative	Page loads in < 200ms	Performance test
Qualitative	User can complete task without docs	Usability test / walkthrough
Technical	All tests pass in CI	Automated test suite
Business	Feature reduces support tickets by 20%	Post-launch metrics

Given/When/Then Acceptance

Each success criterion has concrete acceptance scenarios:

SC-001 Acceptance:
  Given a new user visits the app for the first time
  When they enter a task title and click Add
  Then the task appears in their list
  And the total elapsed time is under 30 seconds

Edge Cases

The charter includes an explicit edge cases section for boundary conditions:

• What happens with an empty title?
• What happens with a 10,000-character description?
• What happens when the server is unreachable?
• What happens with concurrent edits to the same task?

Edge cases that are not listed are not tested. Be explicit about what the system should do in unusual situations.