Comprehensive Detailed Explanation (Approx. 200 words):
Acceptance criteria are an essential part of requirements engineering and test design. According to the ISTQB CTFL Acceptance Testing Syllabus, acceptance criteria are defined as a set of statements that specify what must be true for a system, feature, or user story to be considered acceptable to stakeholders. These criteria are used as the basis for developing acceptance test cases and help bridge the communication between stakeholders, business analysts, developers, and testers.
They are not exclusive to Agile frameworks (contrary to option A); while common in Agile (e.g., as part of a user story), they are equally valuable in traditional lifecycles. Option B is incorrect because testers are encouraged to collaborate in defining acceptance criteria early to ensure testability and clarity. Option C incorrectly states that acceptance criteria replace acceptance tests in ATDD (Acceptance Test-Driven Development). In fact, acceptance criteria are transformed into acceptance tests during ATDD.
Exact Reference – ISTQB CTFL Acceptance Testing Syllabus (Section 2.1):
“Acceptance criteria describe the conditions under which a requirement, user story, or business process is considered successfully implemented. They provide the foundation for acceptance testing and serve as input to test case development.”
Therefore, option D is the most accurate.