HKSM
Working Deliverables Agreement
A policy that a deliverable is officially accepted only after it meets its defined acceptance criteria and the customer or sponsor provides formal business approval and signs off.
Key Points
- Acceptance criteria are defined and testable before work is performed.
- Formal approval authority rests with the customer or sponsor, not the project team.
- Sign-off is documented and indicates the deliverable is ready for release or integration.
- In agile, this happens repeatedly at reviews or demos for each increment or iteration.
Example
During a sprint review for a new login feature, the product owner verifies that all acceptance criteria are met (multi-factor prompt, error handling, lockout after failed attempts). The sponsor provides formal sign-off in the tracking tool, marking the feature as accepted and ready for deployment.
PMP Example Question
Which statement best describes a Working Deliverables Agreement in an agile project?
- It outlines how scope changes are escalated to the change control board.
- It requires that deliverables meeting acceptance criteria receive formal approval and sign-off from the customer or sponsor.
- It defines how the team prioritizes the product backlog each iteration.
- It specifies the tools used for defect tracking and reporting.
Correct Answer: B — Deliverables meeting acceptance criteria receive formal approval and sign-off.
Explanation: The agreement emphasizes that only deliverables that satisfy predefined acceptance criteria are formally accepted by the customer or sponsor.
