Why acceptance criteria belong in the contract
A website project that has not defined what "finished" means will be argued about at the end. Writing it down first is cheaper than winning that argument.
2026-09-14
"Done" is a specification, not a feeling
Acceptance criteria state, in advance, the checks that will be run before a project is considered complete: which widths, which browsers, which accessibility standard, which forms, which measurements. Both sides agree them while the work is still abstract and nobody is invested in a particular outcome.
They protect the client as much as the supplier
Without them, the definition of finished drifts toward whatever the supplier finds easiest to demonstrate. With them, there is a list that can be run through, and a clear point at which the work is done.
They make change requests honest
Once the criteria exist, a request that falls outside them is visibly a change of scope rather than a disagreement about quality. That conversation is much easier to have before the invoice than after it.
They are testable or they are decoration
"Modern and easy to use" is not a criterion. "Reachable and operable by keyboard alone, with a visible focus indicator" is. If a criterion cannot be checked by someone who did not write it, it will not settle anything.
Start with a conversation.
A consultation is a scoped conversation about what you need, not a sales call. You will leave it knowing whether this is the right practice for the work.