Acceptance Plan ©

For [Project Name]

Document Control

Document Information

Information
Document Id [Document Management System #]
Document Owner [Owner Name]
Issue Date [Date]
Last Saved Date [Date]
File Name [Name]

Document History

Version Issue Date Changes

[1.0] [Date] [Section, Page(s) and Text Revised]

Document Approvals

Role © Name Signature Date

Project Sponsor

Project Review Group

Project Manager ©

Quality Manager
(if applicable)

Procurement Manager
(if applicable)

Communications Manager
(if applicable)

Project Office Manager

(if applicable)

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. i

Table of Contents

TEMPLATE GUIDE........................................................................................................ 1
1 ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA..........................................................................................2
1.1 DEFINITION.................................................................................................................................2
1.2 MILESTONES................................................................................................................................2
1.3 CRITERIA.................................................................................................................................... 2

2 ACCEPTANCE PLAN................................................................................................3
2.1 SCHEDULE...................................................................................................................................3
2.2 ASSUMPTIONS...............................................................................................................................3
2.3 RISKS.........................................................................................................................................3

3 ACCEPTANCE PROCESS..........................................................................................4
3.1 PURPOSE.....................................................................................................................................4
3.2 PROCEDURES................................................................................................................................4
3.3 RESPONSIBILITIES..........................................................................................................................4
3.4 REGISTER....................................................................................................................................4
3.5 TEMPLATES..................................................................................................................................4

4 Appendix.................................................................................................................4

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. ii

Template Guide
What is an Acceptance Plan?

‘Acceptance’ is defined as gaining agreement from the customer that the deliverables
produced by the project meet the criteria defined by the customer. The criteria upon which
acceptance is based may be viewed in terms of the quality of the deliverable produced, the
cost of building the deliverable or the timeframe in which the deliverable is produced.
©

An Acceptance Plan usually includes:

 A list of the milestones to be achieved and deliverables to be produced

 A set of criteria and standards for the acceptance of deliverables by the customer
 A plan outlining how the deliverables will be reviewed to determine whether or not they
meet the criteria and adhere to the standards set by the customer
 A process for gaining customer acceptance once the deliverables have been produced. ©

When to use an Acceptance Plan

The Acceptance Plan is a key document within the project. It is usually constructed near the
end of the Project Planning phase, after the Project Plan, Resource Plan, Financial Plan and
Quality Plan have been identified. The Acceptance Plan builds on all prior planning
documentation by specifying the completion criteria and the timeframes which must be
achieved. The Acceptance Plan is referenced throughout the Execution phase as each
deliverable is produced and presented to the customer for final acceptance. The Acceptance
Plan is also referred to during the Closure phase as part of the Project Closure Report and
the Post Implementation Review. ©

How to use this template

This document provides a guide on the topics usually included in an Acceptance Plan.
Sections may be added, removed or redefined at your leisure to meet your particular
business circumstance. Example tables, diagrams and charts have been added (where
suitable) to provide further guidance on how to complete each relevant section.

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. 1

1 Acceptance Criteria
To successfully complete a project, a set of deliverables must be produced which meets the
requirements of the customer. This document defines the criteria which must be met and the
review process which must be undertaken to ensure that each deliverable produced does in
fact meet the requirements of the customer. ©

1.1 Definition
Define the term ‘acceptance’ for the purposes of this project. For example:

“Acceptance is defined as gaining agreement from the customer that the deliverables
produced by the project meet the criteria defined by the customer”. ©

1.2 Milestones
List and describe each of the Milestones and Deliverables for this project.

Milestone Deliverable
Name Description Name Description
Financial Implement the software Software Implementation of General Ledger (GL),
System package on new Package Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts
Upgraded hardware and provide installed Receivable (AR) software
access to the internet

1.3 Criteria
Identify the acceptance criteria and standards to be achieved for each deliverable:

Deliverable © Criteria Standards

Software Package System functionality:
installed  GL tested & installed
 AP tested & installed
 AR tested & installed
System Performance
 System up-time
 System response-time
 Data transferred
System functionality:
 GL operational with no errors
 AP operational with no errors
 AR operational with no errors
System Performance
 99.9% system uptime
 < 1 second response times
 100% data accuracy

The criteria and standards listed must convince the customer that the deliverables produced
can be sufficiently measured to ensure that their requirements are met. Although the criteria
listed primarily address ‘product’ quality, other types of criteria may be used. For example:

 The quality of new processes delivered by the project

 The timeliness of the products and processes actually delivered
 The financial expense incurred in delivering the products.

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. 2

2 Acceptance Plan
2.1 Schedule
Provide a schedule of reviews to be undertaken to ensure that the deliverables produced
meet the criteria and standards defined above:

Completion © Acceptance
Milestone Deliverable Date Review Method Reviewers Date
Financial Software Date  Physical inspection  Systems Tester Date
System Package  Software testing  Project Manager
upgraded installed  Data accuracy review  Data Quality Manager
 Customer advocate
 Independent advisor

Note:
 Completion Date is the planned date on which the deliverable is 100% complete
 Review Method is the method of ensuring that the quality criteria have been met
 Reviewers are the people jointly responsible for undertaking the review
 Review Date is the planned date for completion of the review
 Approval Date is the planned date for acceptance of the deliverable by the customer. ©

2.2 Assumptions
List any planning assumptions made. For example:

It is assumed that:

 There will be no changes to project requirements during this project

 The Acceptance Criteria will not change during this project
 The reviewers are available to conduct the reviews as required. ©

2.3 Risks
List any risks identified. For example:

 The Acceptance Criteria may not be directly aligned with the customer's requirements
 The reviews undertaken may not provide adequate confidence that the deliverables meet
the Acceptance Criteria listed above
 The resource allocated to undertake the acceptance review may not be appropriately
skilled to complete the review as required. ©

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. 3

3 Acceptance Process
(NB Refer to the Method123 ‘Acceptance Management Process’ for a complete example)

3.1 Purpose
Describe the purpose of acceptance management and the general process for obtaining
customer acceptance of deliverables produced by the project.

3.2 Procedures
Provide a diagrammatic representation of the procedures to be undertaken to gain customer
acceptance for each deliverable produced. Describe how each procedure will be undertaken.

3.3 Responsibilities
Define the roles and responsibilities of all resources involved with the review and acceptance
of project deliverables.

3.4 Register
The ‘Acceptance Register’ records the actions undertaken to gain the customer acceptance
of project deliverables. Insert a copy of the Acceptance Register below.
(NB Refer to the Method123 ‘Acceptance Register' for a complete example).

3.5 Templates
Insert a copy of the template required to request customer acceptance of a deliverable.
(NB Refer to the Method123 ‘Acceptance Form’ for a complete example).

4 Appendix

Attach any documentation you believe is relevant to the Acceptance Plan. For example:

 Project documentation (e.g. Business Case, Feasibility Study, Terms of Reference,

Project Plan, Resource Plan, Financial Plan or Quality Plan)
 Requirements Analysis or Needs Analysis documentation
 Other relevant information or correspondence. ©

©2003 Method123 Ltd. All rights reserved. 4