A stakeholder proposes “make the permit portal user friendly” as the only acceptance criterion. What should the BA do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
“User friendly” is a compliment, not a test. Push it into measurable checks—time on task, error rate, required fields completed—so clerks and testers know what pass means.
Full Explanation
When a stakeholder proposes “make the permit portal user friendly” as the only acceptance criterion, the BA should reject or refine it into measurable, testable acceptance statements. Friendliness is a goal direction, not a pass/fail criterion. Civic permitting portals need observable behaviors—task completion time, error guidance, required-field handling—so UAT can decide Done without arguing about adjectives.
Accepting it because friendliness is always objectively measured fails conceptually because the phrase as stated is not objective or measurable. Replacing all other criteria with that single vague phrase fails because it destroys specific verification coverage across permit tasks. Storing it only in marketing copy and never in the backlog fails as a complete response because the underlying need still must become testable backlog acceptance, not merely advertising language.
Exam caveat: Vague acceptance phrases must be refined into measurable criteria before they govern Done. Operational check: facilitate refinement of “user friendly” into specific criteria such as completion time, required field guidance, and error recovery for key permit tasks; replace the vague phrase in the backlog; and test those criteria with clerks and residents as appropriate.