What is the benefit of writing acceptance criteria alongside business requirements?

Writing acceptance criteria alongside business requirements provides a clear and shared understanding between stakeholders about what is expected in the final product. This clarity helps to prevent miscommunication, ensuring that both the development team and business stakeholders are aligned on objectives and success metrics. By defining specific conditions under which a requirement is considered complete, acceptance criteria mitigate ambiguities that could lead to misunderstandings later in the project. This practice not only aids communication but also helps ensure that the delivered solution meets the intended business goals and user needs right from the start.

The other choices do not reflect the primary benefit of this practice. While it may seem that having clear acceptance criteria could speed up development, the more direct advantage lies in preventing miscommunication. Additionally, the suggestion that it could increase project costs or reduce the need for testing does not align with typical project management principles, where thorough acceptance criteria tend to streamline processes and enhance, rather than diminish, testing efforts.