What is Exit Criteria?
Last updated: January 20, 2024 Read in fullscreen view
- 01 Aug 2024
The Standish Group report 83.9% of IT projects partially or completely fail 160/1785 - 13 Apr 2024
Lessons on Teamwork and Leadership from Chinese story book "Journey to the West" 44/953 - 15 Feb 2024
What is a Cut-Over in Software Development? 39/1198 - 02 Nov 2023
Differences between software walkthrough, review, and inspection 27/2008 - 02 Nov 2021
What is Terms of Reference (ToR)? 24/1470 - 18 Oct 2020
How to use the "Knowns" and "Unknowns" technique to manage assumptions 21/993 - 03 Apr 2022
Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) 14/1162 - 01 Oct 2020
Fail fast, learn faster with Agile methodology 13/975 - 19 Oct 2021
Is gold plating good or bad in project management? 8/756 - 10 Nov 2022
Poor Code Indicators and How to Improve Your Code? 8/214 - 18 Dec 2023
The Cone of Uncertainty in Scrum & Requirement Definition 8/646 - 18 Oct 2021
Key Elements to Ramping Up a Large Team 7/1115 - 06 Feb 2021
Why fail fast and learn fast? 6/376 - 01 Feb 2024
How long does it take to develop software? 6/210 - 01 Mar 2023
Bug Prioritization - What are the 5 levels of priority? 6/207 - 14 Oct 2021
Advantages and Disadvantages of Time and Material Contract (T&M) 4/794 - 18 Aug 2022
What are the consequences of poor requirements with software development projects? 4/243 - 20 Jul 2022
Software Myths and Realities 4/801 - 07 Jul 2022
Managing Project Execution Terms 3/379 - 08 Oct 2022
KPI - The New Leadership 3/557 - 31 Oct 2021
Tips to Fail Fast With Outsourcing 3/376 - 24 Nov 2023
The project management paradox: Achieving MORE by doing LESS 3/194 - 10 Apr 2024
The Parking Lot Method: Unlocking a Simple Secret to Supercharge Your Productivity 3/403 - 26 Sep 2024
Successful Project Management Techniques You Need to Look Out For 2/368 - 05 Jun 2023
Fractional, Part-Time (virtual) or Interim CTO: Who Will Cover Your Business Needs? 2/109 - 10 Dec 2023
Pain points of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) 2/417 - 23 Sep 2021
INFOGRAPHIC: Top 9 Software Outsourcing Mistakes 2/412 - 17 Feb 2022
Prioritizing Software Requirements with Kano Analysis 2/284 - 28 Dec 2021
8 types of pricing models in software development outsourcing 2/418 - 13 Dec 2020
Move fast, fail fast, fail-safe 2/292 - 15 May 2022
20 Common Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Project Managers 2/247 - 14 Jun 2022
Example and Excel template of a RACI chart in Software Development 2/708 - 12 Aug 2022
What is End-to-end project management? 2/382 - 02 May 2022
What Is RAID in Project Management? (With Pros and Cons) 2/735 - 02 May 2022
What Is RAID in Project Management? (With Pros and Cons) 2/735 - 22 May 2022
What are common mistakes that new or inexperienced managers make? 1/243 - 27 Jan 2020
Should a project manager push developers to work more hours due to mistakes of manager schedule setting? 1/412 - 19 Apr 2021
7 Most Common Time-Wasters For Software Development 1/525 - 07 Dec 2023
12 project management myths to avoid 1/169 - 26 Dec 2023
Improving Meeting Effectiveness Through the Six Thinking Hats 1/205 - 05 Jan 2024
Easy ASANA tips & tricks for you and your team 1/181 - 11 Jan 2024
What are the Benefits and Limitations of Augmented Intelligence? 1/436 - 02 Jan 2024
What is User Provisioning & Deprovisioning? 1/483 - 01 Mar 2024
10 Project Management Myths 1/120 - 01 Aug 2022
Is planning "set it and forget it" or "set it and check it"? /264 - 02 Jun 2024
Reviving Ancient Wisdom: The Spiritual Side of Project Management /204 - 21 Oct 2025
Cloud-Native Development: Why It’s the Future of Enterprise IT /43 - 14 Mar 2024
Why should you opt for software localization from a professional agency? /117 - 12 Mar 2024
How do you create FOMO in software prospects? /131 - 23 Jun 2024
Best Practices for Managing Project Escalations /184 - 21 Jun 2024
Dead Horses and the Escalation of Commitment /124 - 17 Oct 2021
Does Fast Tracking increase project cost? /350 - 13 Jan 2020
Quiz: Test your understanding project cost management /568 - 06 Nov 2019
How to Access Software Project Size? /236 - 02 Dec 2021
3 Ways to Avoid Scope Creep in IT Consulting /192 - 09 May 2022
Build one to throw away vs Second-system effect: What are differences? /299 - 10 May 2022
Levels of Teamwork /180 - 03 Jan 2023
Organizing your agile teams? Think about M.A.T (Mastery, Autonomy, Purpose) /333 - 30 Nov 2023
Project Managers, Focus on Outcomes — Not Deliverables /143 - 02 Nov 2022
Difference between Change Management and Project Management /216 - 06 Jun 2022
Change Management at the Project Level /293
Exit criteria are the steps that a team has to complete in order for a program to be complete. Establishing and ultimately reviewing exit criteria for each program phase allows the program team to ensure it is keeping its collective eye on critical program deliverables.
In the world of software development, the concept of exit criteria serves as a guiding light, helping teams determine when to conclude their development activities. Exit criteria are predefined conditions or milestones that signal the completion of specific project phases or the entire software development process.
Exit criteria act as a roadmap, outlining the necessary objectives and benchmarks that must be met before moving forward or wrapping up a project. They serve as a set of guidelines to evaluate the readiness of software for the next phase or its final release. It's like a checklist, ensuring that all necessary boxes are ticked before moving on to the next chapter.
The purpose of exit criteria is to ensure that the software meets the specified quality standards and fulfills the defined project objectives. These criteria can be based on various factors such as functional requirements, performance metrics, stability, usability, security, and regulatory compliance. The specific exit criteria may vary depending on the nature of the project and its stakeholders' expectations.
Defining clear exit criteria is crucial for successful project completion. It provides transparency and alignment among team members, stakeholders, and clients. It helps manage expectations, reduces the risk of premature releases, and ensures that the software meets the desired quality standards. It's like having a compass that guides the project to its destination.
Exit criteria are typically established at the beginning of the project and reviewed periodically throughout the development lifecycle. They provide objective measures that determine whether the project is ready to transition to the next phase or reach its final milestone. Regular evaluation against the exit criteria helps teams track progress, identify any gaps or deficiencies, and take corrective actions if needed. It's like having a navigation system that keeps the project on course.
Examples of exit criteria may include completing all planned features, achieving a certain level of test coverage, resolving critical defects, obtaining necessary approvals, or meeting performance benchmarks. These criteria ensure that the software is stable, functional, and meets the defined requirements.
In conclusion, exit criteria serve as a compass for software development projects, guiding teams on when to conclude their activities. By defining clear benchmarks and objectives, exit criteria help ensure the software meets quality standards and project goals. So, let's embrace exit criteria as an essential tool in our project management arsenal, guiding us towards successful project completion.
Fun fact: Did you know that exit criteria are not only limited to software development projects? They are commonly used in various industries and domains to determine when to complete activities and move on to the next phase. Whether it's launching a rocket or organizing a music festival, exit criteria provide the necessary checkpoints for progress and success.
Ask the Experts
What is the exit criteria of a process?
Definition: Exit criteria are the pre-determined requirements that must be met in order for a process, project or program to progress to the next step.
What are entry criteria and exit criteria?
Entry criteria help prevent wasting efforts by verifying that the project is ready for testing before investing time and resources into testing. Similarly, exit criteria are the conditions that must be fulfilled before concluding a particular testing phase.
Example:
Entry Criteria:
- Check point to start Oracle Cloud ERP map- Product Demonstration 1
- Alignment of stakeholders and setting up of required meetings
Exit Criteria:
- Completion of Configuration questionnaire
- Agreement of Data migration strategy
What is the difference between acceptance criteria and exit criteria?
The key difference between the definition of exit and acceptance criteria is their scope. The definition of done is common to all your work but acceptance criteria are specific to individual pieces of work.
In the Agile approach, the acceptance criteria are a mixture of stories and tasks.










Link copied!
Recently Updated News