aico-pm-acceptance-criteria_skill

Overview

This skill defines clear, testable acceptance criteria using Given/When/Then (Gherkin) format so stories can be validated directly by QA or automated tests. It produces happy-path scenarios, edge cases, and error conditions that are independently verifiable. The output is structured for immediate use in test plans and story descriptions.

How this skill works

It inspects the user story or feature description, extracts success conditions, and creates one or more Given/When/Then scenarios for each situation. The skill prioritizes happy paths, then adds validation, error handling, performance, and accessibility edge cases. Every criterion is phrased to be unambiguous and independently testable.

When to use it

• When a user asks for "acceptance criteria", "AC", or "test criteria"
• When someone asks "how do we know it's done?" or "what counts as complete?"
• When a user story lacks testable success conditions
• When QA needs test scenarios or test cases
• When running /pm.plan and AC must be added to stories
• When reviewing stories where acceptance criteria are missing or vague

Best practices

• Start with a single clear user story and its primary success path
• Write one Given/When/Then per distinct scenario to keep tests independent
• Use concrete data and measurable expectations (counts, timestamps, response times)
• Include validation, error, performance, and accessibility edge cases
• Avoid implementation details; describe observable behavior only
• Verify each criterion can be executed and results observed by QA or automation

Example use cases

• Convert a user login story into Gherkin scenarios: successful login, invalid password, locked account
• Produce AC for a file upload feature: valid file, oversized file, unsupported format, interrupted upload
• Add acceptance criteria to an API endpoint: correct response, validation errors, timeouts, rate limiting
• Create AC for an e-commerce checkout: successful purchase, payment failure, inventory shortage
• Draft testable done criteria for a UI component including accessibility checks and performance thresholds