Accessibility belongs in the Definition of Done
WCAG 2.2 AA and BFSG as acceptance criteria, checked per story.
Context
Accessibility is cheapest to get right while a change is being made, and most expensive when it is found in an audit afterwards.
The product's customers have to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and, in Germany, the BFSG.
Options considered
| Option | For | Against |
|---|---|---|
| An audit before each release (rejected) | Specialist eyes, and a clear report. | Findings arrive late, when fixing them is costly. |
| Accessibility as a later phase (rejected) | Faster delivery in the short term. | The debt grows with every feature that ships. |
| Part of code review and the Definition of Done, with automated checks in CI (chosen) | Problems are caught while the change is small, and regressions fail the build. | Reviewers need to know what to look for, and automated checks only find part of the problems. |
Decision
WCAG 2.2 AA and BFSG compliance are part of code review and the Definition of Done for the team, with Playwright accessibility checks in CI.
Consequences
Better
- It applies to the whole 11-person team.
- Violations fail the build instead of waiting for an audit.
Harder
- Reviewers need accessibility knowledge, which takes time to build.
- Automated checks are not enough on their own, so manual testing is still needed.