Exit criteria are the criteria or requirements which must be met to complete a specific process. For example for Fagan Inspection the low-level document must comply with specific exit-criteria (as specified in the high-level document) before the development process can be taken to the next phase.

In telecommunications: When testing new software or hardware for release, a set of test specifications are created to test this new product to ensure that it meets minimum acceptable operational specifications. This test specification will state the minimum criteria necessary for the testing process to be considered complete and the product is ready for release IE: Exit the testing phase of the program.