01Acceptance criteria
Lives on the user story. Written before the work starts. Defines:
- What the user can do
- What the system should do in response
- Edge cases and constraints
Example AC for a sign-up story:
- User can register with a valid email and password (8+ chars, 1 number)
- Verification email arrives within 1 minute
- Verification link expires after 24 hours
- Duplicate email shows clear error
02Test cases
Live in the test repository. Each case verifies one specific behaviour and is executable in a test run. For the AC above, you'd have a case for each bullet — and for each, edge cases that the AC didn't spell out.
03How they connect
Acceptance criteria seed the first round of test cases. Cases then evolve beyond the original AC as you find edge cases, integration issues, and regression risks.
04Related
05Frequently asked questions
Do I need both?
Yes. Acceptance criteria belong on the story (so the team agrees on what "done" means before building). Test cases belong in the test repository (so QA can repeatedly verify the same checks across releases).
Can a test case live on the story instead of a separate tool?
For one-off cases on small teams, sure. Once you have repeated regression needs, cases need a permanent home — that's the test repository.