Success Criteria Definition Template – Free Word Download

Success Criteria Definition Template – Free Word Download

Introduction to Success Criteria

In the lifecycle of a project, there is often a dangerous disconnect between “finishing the work” and “achieving success.” It is entirely possible for a project team to complete every task on the schedule, spend exactly the allocated budget, and deliver the product exactly as specified, yet still face a dissatisfied client who refuses to sign off. This creates a painful limbo known as the “99% Complete” phase, where the project drags on indefinitely while the team tries to guess what the stakeholders actually want.

The Success Criteria Definition document is the antidote to this ambiguity. While the Project Objectives (Template 11) define the high-level goals (the “Why”), and the Requirements (Template 10) define the features (the “What”), the Success Criteria define the specific tests that determine acceptance. They answer the question: What evidence is required to prove that we are finished?

This document serves as the “grading rubric” for the project. Just as a student wants to know exactly what is required to get an ‘A’ grade before they start the exam, the project team needs to know exactly what is required to get a ‘Project Closed’ status before they start execution.

By completing this template, you convert subjective expectations into objective facts. You move the conversation from “I don’t feel like this is ready” to “Criteria #4 has been met; therefore, it is ready.” This shift protects the project manager from scope creep and ensures the team is focused on the activities that directly contribute to the final sign-off.

Section 1: Distinction Between Objectives and Success Criteria

Guidance for Completion

Before defining the criteria, it is vital to understand how they differ from objectives. Confusion here leads to weak criteria.

  • Objective: A broad goal or outcome. (Example: “Improve customer satisfaction.”)
  • Deliverable: A tangible item produced. (Example: “A new Call Center Software.”)
  • Success Criterion: A specific, measurable condition that the deliverable must satisfy to prove the objective is met. (Example: “The software must handle 100 simultaneous calls without crashing for a duration of 4 hours.”)

The “Cake” Analogy

To help stakeholders understand, use this analogy:

  • Objective: Make people happy at the birthday party.
  • Deliverable: A chocolate cake.
  • Success Criteria: The cake must be at least 10 inches in diameter; it must be chocolate flavored; and it must be ready by 2:00 PM.

Draft Example

Project: Office Relocation

  • Objective: Move to the new office with minimal disruption.
  • Deliverable: Physical relocation of 50 desks.
  • Success Criterion 1: All 50 desks are in position according to the floor plan.
  • Success Criterion 2: IT connectivity is verified for 100% of workstations by 8:00 AM Monday.
  • Success Criterion 3: Zero lost physical assets reported during the move.

Section 2: The Binary Test (Pass/Fail)

Guidance for Completion

The golden rule of success criteria is that they must be binary. They must be able to be rated as either Pass or Fail. There should be no room for “Maybe” or “Sort of.”

If a criterion relies on opinion, it is a failed criterion. You must convert subjective desires into objective measures.

Converting Subjectivity

  • Subjective: “The website should load fast.” (Who defines fast? Is 5 seconds fast? Is 1 second fast?)
  • Binary Success Criterion: “The website homepage must achieve a ‘Time to Interactive’ score of under 2.5 seconds on a standard 4G connection.” (This can be measured with a tool. It is either True or False.)
  • Subjective: “The manual should be easy to read.”
  • Binary Success Criterion: “The user manual must achieve a Flesch-Kincaid readability score of 60 or higher.”

Draft Example

Criterion ID: SC-001

Description: System Response Time.

Binary Test: Does the transaction commit in < 1 second?

Result Options: [ ] Yes (Pass) / [ ] No (Fail).

Section 3: Project Management Success Criteria

Guidance for Completion

These criteria measure the process of the project, not just the product. These are usually important to the internal organization (the PMO) and the person paying the bills.

Key Areas to Define

  1. Schedule Variance: What is the acceptable delay? Is “On Time” exactly the date, or is there a buffer?
  2. Cost Variance: Is “On Budget” exactly the dollar amount, or is +/- 5% acceptable?
  3. Compliance: Did we follow the correct methodology?

Draft Example

  • Criterion: Schedule Adherence
    • Definition: The project is considered successful if the final ‘Go-Live’ occurs no later than October 31st.
    • Tolerance: A delay of up to 5 business days is acceptable provided it is communicated 2 weeks in advance. A delay beyond 5 days is a Failure.
  • Criterion: Budget Adherence
    • Definition: The final actual cost must not exceed $150,000.
    • Tolerance: Zero overspend is permitted on Capital Expenditure (CAPEX). Up to 10% overspend is permitted on Operational Expenditure (OPEX) if approved by the Sponsor.

Section 4: Product/Technical Success Criteria

Guidance for Completion

These are the criteria that the Engineering, IT, or Manufacturing teams need to hit. They define the quality and functionality of the “Thing” being built. This section often links closely to the Requirements Summary (Template 10) but selects the top 5-10 “Deal Breakers.”

The “Definition of Done” (DoD)

In Agile and modern project management, “Done” means more than “Coded.” It means tested, documented, and integrated.

Draft Example

Product: Mobile Application

  • SC-TECH-01 (Functionality): The “Add to Cart” button functions correctly on iOS (versions 15+) and Android (versions 12+).
  • SC-TECH-02 (Stability): The app must run for 24 hours under a simulated load of 5,000 users with zero critical crashes.
  • SC-TECH-03 (Security): A third-party penetration test returns no vulnerabilities rated ‘High’ or ‘Critical.’
  • SC-TECH-04 (Documentation): The technical architecture diagram is updated, approved by the Chief Architect, and stored in the Wiki.

Section 5: Business Value Success Criteria

Guidance for Completion

These criteria determine if the project solved the business problem. Often, these cannot be measured immediately at the end of the project but require a “Warranty Period” or a “Benefits Realization” phase. However, you must define them now so you know what you are aiming for.

Measuring the Outcome

Focus on the change in business performance.

Draft Example

  • SC-BIZ-01 (Efficiency): The new invoicing process must reduce the manual effort per invoice from 15 minutes to 3 minutes.
    • Validation Method: Timed observation of 50 invoices during User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
  • SC-BIZ-02 (Adoption): 80% of the regional sales managers must log into the system and submit at least one report within the first week of launch.
    • Validation Method: System Audit Logs.

Section 6: Operational and Transition Criteria

Guidance for Completion

A common failure mode is delivering a working product that the Operations team refuses to accept because they don’t know how to run it. These criteria define the “Handover” requirements. The project is not successful until the “Business as Usual” (BAU) team accepts ownership.

The “Keys to the Car”

What does the Operations Manager need before they let you leave?

Draft Example

  • SC-OPS-01 (Training): 100% of the Help Desk staff have completed the “Level 1 Support” training module and passed the quiz with a score of 80% or higher.
  • SC-OPS-02 (Runbook): The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document for “System Restart” is written, printed, and physically located in the server room.
  • SC-OPS-03 (Backup): A full restore from backup has been successfully demonstrated in the staging environment.

Section 7: User Experience (UX) Criteria

Guidance for Completion

If the users hate it, the project failed. While “hate” is subjective, you can quantify user sentiment through standardized testing.

Quantifying Sentiment

Use methods like Net Promoter Score (NPS), System Usability Scale (SUS), or Task Completion Rate.

Draft Example

  • SC-UX-01 (Task Speed): A new user with no prior training must be able to create a customer account in under 90 seconds.
    • Test: Random sample of 10 users.
  • SC-UX-02 (Accessibility): The web portal must pass the WCAG 2.1 AA automated compliance check with zero errors.

Section 8: Negative Success Criteria (Constraints)

Guidance for Completion

Sometimes success is defined by what didn’t happen. These are often safety or risk-related. They set the boundaries of acceptable collateral damage.

“Do No Harm” Criteria

  1. Business Continuity: We upgraded the system without taking the website offline for more than 1 hour.
  2. Data Integrity: We migrated the data without losing a single record.

Draft Example

  • SC-NEG-01: The implementation of the new firewall must not disrupt the existing email traffic. Any downtime exceeding 5 minutes is a Failure.
  • SC-NEG-02: The project activities must not result in any safety incidents (OSHA reportable events) on the construction site.

Section 9: Measurement Methods and Validation

Guidance for Completion

For every criterion you listed above, you must explain how you will prove it. Who checks? What tool do they use? When do they check?

This section prevents the argument: “Well, it looks fast to me.”

The Evidence Table

Create a mapping of criteria to proof.

Draft Example

IDCriterionMeasurement MethodTool/SourceValidator
SC-001Page Load < 2sAutomated TestGoogle LighthouseQA Lead
SC-002Staff TrainedTraining LogHR Learning PortalHR Director
SC-003Under BudgetFinancial ReportSAP LedgerFinance Manager
SC-004Zero DefectsBug CountJira DashboardProduct Owner

Section 10: Tolerance and Variance Management

Guidance for Completion

Projects rarely land on a pinhead. You need to define the “Landing Zone.” If the goal is $100,000 and you spend $100,001, is that a failure? Probably not. If you spend $150,000, is that a failure? Probably yes.

This section defines the “Green,” “Amber,” and “Red” zones for success.

Draft Example

Criterion: User Adoption

  • Target: 500 Users.
  • Green (Success): 480 to 520 Users. (The project is a complete success).
  • Amber (Partial Success): 400 to 479 Users. (The project is accepted, but a “Lessons Learned” session is required to understand the gap).
  • Red (Failure): Fewer than 400 Users. (The project is considered a failure; the “Remediation Plan” is triggered).

Section 11: Validation Workshop Protocol

Guidance for Completion

Criteria are not decided in a vacuum. You need to agree on them with the stakeholders. This section describes the process you will use to get that agreement. It serves as a reminder to the Sponsor that they were involved in this definition.

The “Pre-Mortem” Technique

Describe how you used a “Pre-Mortem” session to derive these criteria. (i.e., “Imagine it is one year from now and the project failed. Why did it fail?” The answers help you build the criteria).

Draft Example

“These success criteria were derived during the ‘Success Definition Workshop’ held on [Date]. During this session, stakeholders from Sales, Marketing, and IT agreed that ‘Success’ is defined primarily by stability and speed, rather than the number of features. Consequently, we have prioritized stability metrics over feature-count metrics.”

Section 12: Sign-Off and Acceptance Authority

Guidance for Completion

Who has the final say? You need a specific name. If you leave this vague (“The Business”), you will chase signatures for weeks. Identify the one person who has the authority to look at the data and say, “I declare this project successful.”

The “Acceptance Ceremony”

Frame the sign-off not as an administrative burden but as a formal acceptance of value.

Signature Block

  • Acceptance Authority: ___________________ (Project Sponsor)
  • Date: ___________________
  • Statement: “I have reviewed the Success Criteria defined in this document. I agree that if the project meets these binary tests within the defined tolerances, I will formally accept the project deliverables and authorize project closure.”

Detailed Tips for Specific Industries

For Software Development

  • Avoid: “No bugs.” (Software always has bugs).
  • Use: “No Priority 1 or Priority 2 bugs. Known Priority 3 bugs must have a documented workaround.”
  • Focus: Focus heavily on “Non-Functional Requirements” (NFRs) like latency, uptime, and security.

For Construction/Engineering

  • Avoid: “The building is done.”
  • Use: “Certificate of Occupancy issued by the local council. All ‘Punch List’ items resolved. HVAC system balanced and commissioned.”
  • Focus: Focus on safety and regulatory compliance.

For Marketing/Creative

  • Avoid: “The logo looks good.”
  • Use: “The logo complies with the brand color palette (Hex codes). The logo is delivered in vector format (.EPS, .SVG). The campaign generates 1,000 clicks.”
  • Focus: Focus on deliverables formats and conversion metrics.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Pitfall 1: Moving Goalposts

The most frustrating experience for a team is hitting the target, only to have the Sponsor say, “Well, yes, but now I also want X.”

  • Solution: Use this signed document as your shield. “We agreed that success was A, B, and C. We have delivered A, B, and C. Any new requests must be a new project Phase 2.”

Pitfall 2: Immeasurable Criteria

“Improve team morale.” How do you measure that? If you cannot measure it, delete it or find a proxy (e.g., “Reduce staff turnover rate”).

Pitfall 3: Contradictory Criteria

“Deliver the highest quality product” AND “Deliver at the lowest possible cost.” These are usually mutually exclusive.

  • Solution: Use the Tolerance section to define which one wins. “Cost is fixed; Quality is variable” or vice versa.

Pitfall 4: Relying on “They’ll know it when they see it”

This is a recipe for disaster. It forces the team to rely on telepathy. Force the stakeholder to articulate what they want to see now.

Conclusion – Success Criteria Definition Template – Free Word Download

The Success Criteria Definition is the contract that protects the sanity of the project team. It draws a bright line in the sand between “Work in Progress” and “Done.” By investing the effort to define these criteria early, you are essentially pre-writing the final project report. You are defining the conditions of your own victory.

When the project reaches its end, you should be able to walk into the final Steering Committee meeting, put this document on the screen, place the “Actual Results” next to the “Target Criteria,” and show a column of green checkmarks. That is how you get a project closed quickly and celebrate success.

Use this template to drive hard conversations. If a stakeholder cannot define what success looks like, you should not start the project. It is better to delay the start by a week to clarify the destination than to spend six months driving in the wrong direction.

Meta Description

A template for defining Project Success Criteria. Guiding you to create binary, measurable, and agreed-upon tests for project acceptance and closure.

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