Requirements, stories & service design · Core
Happy path
Also called: golden path
ELI5
The simplest route where everything goes right.
Used in conversation
“Test the happy path and the failure states.”
Definition
The expected successful sequence through a task without errors or exceptions.
Here “Happy path” means: The expected successful sequence through a task without errors or exceptions.
Pitch context
You will see “Happy path” in product strategy decks, roadmaps, experiments and architecture reviews when the discussion reaches requirements, stories & service design.
Why it matters: It helps a reader interpret requirements, stories & service design without confusing the measure, decision, role or evidence being discussed.
Sources & evidence · 2
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- Scrum Guides — The Scrum Guide — official current versionSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16
- National Institute of Standards and Technology — Computer Security Resource Center GlossarySupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-16