We write acceptance tests right after the IPM (Iteration Planning Meeting). Each story should have one or more acceptance tests, and we use those tests to decide when a story is done.
Writing acceptance tests early helps us think through the story. It often brings up new questions, highlights edge cases, and uncovers alternate flows or use cases we may not have considered during planning.
The team can choose to start with acceptance tests for the stories we plan to work on first. Acceptance tests shouldn’t take long to write, and it’s normal to have them all in place by the middle of the iteration.
Acceptance tests matter because our definition of done is simple: the tests pass.
Discussions for your team
- As a team, are we focused on producing the acceptance tests for the first set of stories in the iteration?
- Does it matter who’s writing the tests?
- Should the tests be reviewed?
- Where are we storing the tests?
- In our team, does “done” mean “acceptance tests pass”?