What is one purpose of acceptance criteria?

In SAFe® and Scrum, acceptance criteria define the conditions that must be met for a User Story to be considered complete and accepted by the Product Owner. These criteria clarify how the Story will be validated and serve as the basis for confirming that functionality meets expectations and quality standards.

Acceptance criteria support transparency, alignment, and shared understanding between the team and stakeholders. They guide development, testing, and validation efforts and are essential for achieving the Definition of Done (DoD).

From SAFe guidance:

“Acceptance criteria define the boundaries and validation conditions of a Story. They ensure the implemented functionality meets the customer’s intent and can be accepted.”

Therefore, the correct answer is A. To identify how the Story can be validated, as this captures the core purpose of acceptance criteria.