EARS Notation for Requirements Engineering

EARS (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax) is a formal notation for writing unambiguous, testable acceptance criteria.

Core Principle

Every acceptance criterion follows a strict pattern with uppercase keywords. The keyword SHALL is mandatory - never use "should", "must", "will", "can", or "may".

The Six EARS Patterns

1. Ubiquitous (Always True)

THE [System] SHALL [behavior]

Use for requirements that are always active, with no preconditions.

Example: THE System SHALL encrypt all passwords using bcrypt