Acceptance Criteria Standard
Parent: Pricing & Engagement
The checklist that defines what "done" means. Defined in writing at kickoff so there's zero ambiguity at go-live.
The standard 6-item checklist
Every workflow proposal includes acceptance criteria specific to that workflow, but the general template:
System backtested against at least the last 90 days of historical data — and as far back as we can reasonably pull. Most contractors don't backtest at all. This is above-and-beyond work that surfaces every field mismatch, vendor format drift, and edge case before go-live — so the system doesn't break in production and cost them time and money later.
Files routed and named correctly per the agreed convention — the exact folder structure and naming scheme is locked in writing at kickoff. Sample data tests this end-to-end.
Source-of-truth system updated automatically — usually Excel tracker with running balance, or whatever they're using today as the system of record.
Threshold/alert logic fires correctly on test threshold — they pick a test threshold low enough to verify, system fires, they confirm receipt of Teams + email.
Output document generated, drafted, saved for review with correct line items and template match — e.g. monthly pay app invoice generated from their template, pixel-matched to what they'd build manually.
One full end-to-end cycle confirmed — for PSA: pay app invoice → Sage paid status → tracker auto-updated. The full round trip works.
Plus: production deployment with monitoring and audit log — non-negotiable infrastructure.
Why backtesting against 90 days matters
This is the single biggest differentiator on the proposal. Reframe in pitch:
"Most automation vendors test against the sample data the client gives them. We test against every email, every invoice, every PDF you've received in the last 90 days. We surface field-format drift you didn't even know existed. So when we ship, we've already seen the edge case that would have broken your system in week three."
How to use the checklist on the call
When a prospect asks "how will we know it's done?" — pull up this list. Walk through each item. Show them they'd sign off on each one in writing. This is the moment scope ambiguity dies.
What's NOT in the acceptance criteria
- ❌ "User satisfaction" or any subjective measure
- ❌ Anything that depends on a third party agreeing (e.g. "their accountant approves it")
- ❌ Performance targets we can't measure precisely
We only commit to things we can prove went green on a specific date.
Last updated: 2026-05-24