Are we there yet? This is a difficult question to answer when no one agrees on where exactly “there” is. In an Agile world full of cloud-based solutions, there’s no shrink-wrapped container full of widgets that truly signifies completion. And, there’s always an opportunity to ship code that is far from a “finished” product. That’s why agreeing on what we call the “Definition of Done” is of critical importance to achieving a consensus on when projects, initiatives, and features are actually complete.
It all starts with a common vocabulary—if people aren’t speaking the same language there’s ample room for confusion, frustration, and mixed signals. To avoid this scenario, product teams should take the time to work with their engineering and testing counterparts to agree on what qualifies as “done” in different cases.
To get on the same page, here’s a quick guide to deconstructing agile product management.
Defining the definition of done
The Definition of Done is an agreed-upon set of items that must be completed before a project or user story can be considered complete. It is applied consistently and serves as an official gate separating things from being “in progress” to “done.”
While the particulars vary from organization to organization, a typical definition of done consists of a checklist containing items such as:
- Code is peer-reviewed
- Code is checked in
- Code is deployed to test environment
- Code/feature passes regression testing
- Code/feature passes smoke testing
- Code is documented
- Help documentation is updated
- Feature is OK’d by stakeholders
Different companies and development groups will come up with their own variant, but they all tack back to the same ideal: the code does what it’s supposed to and doesn’t break anything else. Making every feature/release/sprint go through these steps to ensure done-ness is important most of all to ensure consistent quality and completeness.
There should also be an element of transparency since everything can be tied back to that done-ness checklist. If a release or feature hasn’t checked off all the boxes, then it can’t move forward and everyone knows why.
Who defines done?
The engineering organization is typically the lead player in defining the Definition of Done since much of it is to guarantee that things work well and meet basic technical requirements. The definition might be lead by the Scrum Master or the head of engineering.
But, it should be a collaborative exercise to agree on what qualifies as “done.” Without input and approval from product, quality assurance, and other stakeholders, there won’t be widespread acceptance of whether something is actually done or engineering just says it is.
“Think about all of the tasks that must be done to put the story into production. Be imaginative and include everything, even tasks that might be out of your team control,” says product development consultant Luís Gonçalves. From this ideal vision of “done” you can whittle it down to a more realistic definition.
Putting it into practice
Defining done is a timesaver in the long run since it reduces unnecessary revisions later on. When the code meets the definition, everyone has assurances that it is ready for prime time.
“The definition of done (DoD) is when all conditions, or acceptance criteria, that a software product must satisfy are met and ready to be accepted by a user, customer, team, or consuming system,” says Derek Huether of ALM Platforms. “We must meet the definition of done to ensure quality. It lowers rework, by preventing user stories that don’t meet the definition from being promoted to higher-level environments. It will prevent features that don’t meet the definition from being delivered to the customer or user.”
Once the definition is in place, it applies to everything, ensuring consistency and quality.
“These rules apply to every single work item that goes through our task boards, so long as it involves code. Whether it’s a large user story with multiple dependencies or a tiny bug fix, the person doing the work is expected to run through these checklists,” says Danny Smith of CharlieHR. “That doesn’t mean that everything on the checklists has to be ticked off for every work item, though — a tiny technical improvement is unlikely to need a marketing email written about it, for example. It does mean that everything in the checklist must be considered for every work item. We trust our engineers to use their judgment.”
Why product managers should care about the definition of done
Leaving whether or not something is “done” open to interpretation can cause conflict, misunderstandings, and lead to negative user experiences and revenue impacts, which is a good reason to settle on that criteria before the Sprint ever begins. Sharing a common vision for what the end result should be is a good place for any project to start, and agreeing on the gates a feature must pass through to reach completion creates a consensus of expectations.
An additional benefit of not giving every single project its own measure of being “done” is also a big-time saver and lets people focus on innovation and execution versus definition, so investing a little time in creating a baseline understanding of what done means to everyone is a worthy endeavor. With the ambiguity removed, everyone can concentrate on their core responsibilities instead of arguing later on in the process about fitness for release.
Also, although a feature might appear done on the surface, if the technical team hasn’t dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s behind the scenes, those resources will be continuing to circle back to those “done” projects to clean things up and address open issues.
“Incomplete work has a nasty habit of mounting up, and without visibility of how much effort truly remains, the deficit can quickly get out of hand,” says Ian Mitchell of proAgile. “The tyranny of work which is nearly done, but not really done, can put a team in servitude to technical debt.”
Definition of done vs. acceptance criteria
If you’re beginning to wonder why this is a product management issue and not a quality control topic for the technical team, that’s in part due to the difference between a general Definition of Done and the specific acceptance criteria for a particular user story.
DoD is universally applied (with a few exceptions) to everything the engineering organization is attempting to ship. While a product management “OK” might be one of the items on the checklist, it’s a fairly generic definition.
Acceptance criteria, however, are unique to the user story or feature in question. These criteria should be defined by product management, with input from the technical team on any specific use cases or parameters that must be met to green light this item before it’s considered done.
Since DoD is considered for everything, product management should review the definition and make sure they agree that it is comprehensive enough. However, the ownership and management of the definition doesn’t necessarily need to be the responsibility of product management. As long as product is satisfied that “done” items pass the tests spelled out in the DoD, they can largely leave it be.
But a shipped product or feature can hardly be considered done in the eyes of product, either.
“For a product manager, you’re not done with a product (or feature) until you’ve put it out to pasture,” says Adam Sigel of Hometap. “Once it’s launched, you begin the long tail of customer support, price changes, bug fixes, and compatibility updates. Once you’re done supporting it, it’s time to sunset it. Then, and only then, are you done with a product.”
Where to begin
The defining process shouldn’t happen in a vacuum, it should be collaborative between stakeholders and those actually doing the work. Whether it starts with brainstorming or a straw man suggested by the technical team, there should be ample opportunity for comment and unanimous support for the final product.
Assigning owners to each criteria is also a good idea, as they can be the arbiter if there’s a disagreement amount a particular items ability to check that box. This reinforces consistency and removes any doubt from the equation.
And like all well-intentioned methodologies, a Definition of Done should be as simple and short as possible. The idea is to create consistent quality and not bureaucratic hurdles that slow things down unnecessarily.
“The DoD is a contract between the product owner and the team, so it’s tempting to want to fit as many items in the DoD as possible in order to ensure the quality of the product. But this can backfire,” says Yves Riel of Okapya. “When teams are confronted with too many DoD items, they either work only on a subset or try and fail to do all of them, eliminating the value of establishing the DoD in the first place.”
Your mileage may vary
The Definition of Done primarily deals with code and its fitness for being released. But for the product team, you’re definitely not done when something ships, so you’ll need to create your own definition that extends much further into the product’s lifecycle.
Metric-based goals such as adoption, usage, retention, or revenue could be signifiers that a feature is “done” or it could be as simple as the requesting customer agreeing that it meets their requirements. And given that user feedback and analytics may drive additional development—not to mention UX feedback or changes in business models—the engineering team should be prepared to revisit items they previously deemed “done.”
FAQs
“The definition of done (DoD) is when all conditions, or acceptance criteria, that a software product must satisfy are met and ready to be accepted by a user, customer, team, or consuming system,” says Derek Huether of ALM Platforms. “We must meet the definition of done to ensure quality.
Which 2 answers are true about the definition of done? ›
Which two answers are true about the Definition of "Done"? - Is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. - Is used to have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete.
Why the definition of done is important to the Product Owner? ›
The Definition of Done ensures everyone on the Team knows exactly what is expected of everything the Team delivers. It ensures transparency and quality fit for the purpose of the product and organization.
Which of the following statements best defines the definition of done? ›
"When many Development Teams are working on a single product, what best describes the definition of "done?" Correct answer: C) A) Each Development Team defines and uses its own. The differences are discussed and reconciled during a hardening Sprint.
What is a good example of definition of done? ›
For example, in software, a Definition of Done may be: “Done means coded to standards, reviewed, implemented with unit Test-Driven Development, tested with 100 percent test automation, integrated and documented.”
What is the goal of definition of done? ›
With this as our definition, we can think of the goals of a definition of done as: Building a common understanding within the team about quality and completeness. This is especially important during the sprint planning process as you need to know what you're working towards.
What are the top three benefits of a good definition of done? ›
3 Benefits of Using the Definition of Done Approach.
When they have a clear, concrete list of criteria, they must meet to consider their work finished, an agile team can more effectively plan their workload. They can estimate completion timeframes. The definition can help them focus on what matters.
Is definition of done a checklist? ›
The definition of done (DoD) is an agreed-upon checklist that clearly states when a user story, epic, or theme is considered accomplished. According to The Scrum Guide: “The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the increment.
Who should define definition of done in scrum? ›
The Scrum Team owns the Definition of Done, and it is shared between the Development Team and the Product Owner. Only the Development Team are in a position to define it, because it asserts the quality of the work that *they* must perform.
Which statement is true about definition of done DoD? ›
So, the answer is the First One. 1. The DoD of a Sprint is unique and depends on the content and purpose of the Sprint. The DoD doesn't depend on the "content and purpose of the Sprint", even when it is improved each Sprint.
This is the definition of "Done" for the Scrum Team and is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. What does the definition of done do for the Development Team? The same definition guides the Development Team in knowing how many Product Backlog items it can select during a Sprint Planning.
How can I improve my definition of done? ›
Exercise to improve/expand the definition of done: With your team and within your organization, reflect on the amount of work that needs to be done after a team considers an increment “done”. Help both the organization and the team to change processes and practices to decrease this amount of 'undone' work.
What is a definition of done used for agile? ›
The Agile definition of done is a collection of criteria that must be completed for a project to be considered “done.” It is essentially a checklist used by Scrum teams to create a shared understanding of what is required to make a product releasable.
Who creates the definition of done choose the best answer? ›
Development Teams on all the Scrum Teams must mutually define the definition of “Done.”" So it is "The Development Team". These are the excerpts from the Scrum Guide.
Is definition of Done acceptance criteria? ›
Definition of Done (DoD) is a list of requirements that a user story must adhere to for the team to call it complete. While the Acceptance Criteria of a User Story consist of set of Test Scenarios that are to be met to confirm that the software is working as expected.
How do you run a definition of done session? ›
What you want from your definition of done exercise
- easy to read: use plain language so everyone understands.
- concise: keep it short.
- testable: avoid grey areas or vague standards.
- realistic: focus on what is common to most work, not exceptions or aspirations.
- relevant: keep it specific to your project.
Establishing a DoD should be a cross-functional collaboration between product teams, project managers, quality control, and relevant stakeholders.
...
Decide on your Definition of Done as a team
- Code is written.
- Code is documented.
- Code is reviewed.
- Code or build is deployed in a testing environment.
- Code passes tests.
The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. If a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of Done, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review.
Which three phrases best describe the purpose of definition of done? ›
Controls whether the developers have performed their tasks. Provides a template for elements that need to be included in the technical documentation. Creates transparency over the work inspected at the Sprint Review.
What is the importance of the definition of done SAFe? ›
Definition of Done for SAFe: The article “Built-in Quality” in SAFe has a section on the Scalable Definition of Done. It says, “the continuous development of incremental system functionality requires a scaled definition of done to ensure the right work is done at the right time, some early and some only for release.
In DoR, the team is the "client" and the product owner is the "supplier." In order to come up with the DoR for a user story, the team conducts regular backlog grooming sessions (aka story time) with the product owner. During these sessions, the product owner presents stories to the team and explains them one by one.
Can definition of done change in Scrum? ›
The Definition of Done may be changed at any time to reflect what a team can complete within each sprint. However, changing the DoD should be an infrequent occurrence, and never something done prior to each sprint.
Who is accountable for definition of done? ›
In the 2020 Scrum Guide, the Definition of Done is created by the Scrum Team. In previous versions of the Scrum Guide, this responsibility was explicitly owned by the Development Team.
What is DoR in safe agile? ›
A definition of ready (DoR) is used to determine whether work on a task is ready to be started. Before teams assign a task or user story in a sprint, it must be sufficiently well described and understood by team members.
Why are definition of ready and done important? ›
A Definition of Ready Defines Pre-Conditions
A Definition of Ready enables a team to specify certain pre-conditions that must be fulfilled before a story is allowed into an iteration. The goal is to prevent problems before they have a chance to start.
What is definition of done and definition of ready How is this achieved? ›
Simply stated, the Definition of Ready defines the criteria that a specific user story has to meet before being considered for estimation or inclusion into a sprint. Whereas a Definition of Ready is focused on user story level characteristics, the Definition of Done is focused on the sprint or release level.
What is typically included in the definition of done for the team? ›
The team agrees on, and displays prominently somewhere in the team room, a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. Failure to meet these criteria at the end of a sprint normally implies that the work should not be counted toward that sprint's velocity.
What does the definition of done mean in Agile Linkedin? ›
For Agile Software development: “done means DONE!” Done means the functionality is potentially shippable. A DoD is simply a list of activities that are needed to be complete to add verifiable value to the product. A DoD can be defined at multiple levels: Story, Epic, Sprint, Release.
What is DoD and DoR in Scrum? ›
Remember: The Definition of Done (DoD) applies for all user stories that the team is working on. In contrast to this, Acceptance Criteria are defined specifically per User Story as required by the Definition of Ready (DoR). This should clarify how DoR, Acceptance Criteria and DoD relate to each other.
Is Dor and acceptance criteria same? ›
Definition of Done and Acceptance Criteria are two different things and serve different purposes. While Definition of Done focuses on the quality aspect of the product increment, Acceptance Criteria focuses on the completeness and behavior of the product increment's functionality.
The key difference between the definition of done and acceptance criteria is their scope. The definition of done is common to all your work but acceptance criteria are specific to individual pieces of work.
Is DoD a part of acceptance criteria? ›
The difference between DoD and acceptance criteria is in their scope. While the definition of done applies to all your work, acceptance criteria are related to individual pieces of work, including user stories and, in some cases, PBI.
What is DoR and DoD in agile? ›
DoR and DoD are practices that are needed while improving a product. To ensure that the product meets customer expectations, certain features and ideas have to be added to it from time to time, and defining the criteria for the features to be added is absolutely necessary and that's when the DoR and DoD come into play.
What is definition of ready and done? ›
The key difference between the definition of ready and definition of done is that: the definition of ready covers the requirements coming into the sprint. the definition of done covers the product coming out of the sprint.
Who defines definition of done in agile? ›
The Scrum Team owns the Definition of Done, and it is shared between the Development Team and the Product Owner. Only the Development Team are in a position to define it, because it asserts the quality of the work that *they* must perform.
Who defines DoD in Scrum? ›
Per the Scrum Guide, the Dev Team defines the DoD ONLY when the DoD is not laid out by the Development Organization. Basically, if the organization set the DoD, then the Scrum Team's DoD would match the DoD put forth by the organization.
Who creates DoR in Scrum? ›
What is a Definition Of Ready (DoR) ? Before going in a Sprint Backlog, a User Story has to be ready. DoR is the checklist done by the team of explicit criteria that a User Story must meet before being accepted into the next sprint. So these are the criterias the team puts as a To Do for the Product Owner.
Who decides DoD in Agile? ›
Decide on your Definition of Done as a team
Establishing a DoD should be a cross-functional collaboration between product teams, project managers, quality control, and relevant stakeholders.
How do I use DoD in Jira? ›
Here's how.
- Create a DoD in Jira. The best way to have a DoD inside Jira is to use a Custom Field. ...
- Break it down. ...
- Make it Global. ...
- Manage it over time. ...
- Make the product owner responsible and the team accountable. ...
- Enforce it. ...
- Create an acceptance criteria list in Jira.
3 Benefits of Using the Definition of Done Approach.
When they have a clear, concrete list of criteria, they must meet to consider their work finished, an agile team can more effectively plan their workload. They can estimate completion timeframes. The definition can help them focus on what matters.
DoR = Definition of Ready
- PO and Dev Team need to have talked about the story at least once.
- Story must have clear business value.
- Effort needs to be estimated.
- Story must be broken down enough to fit a single sprint.
- Story needs at least one acceptance criterium.
The Agile definition of done is a collection of criteria that must be completed for a project to be considered “done.” It is essentially a checklist used by Scrum teams to create a shared understanding of what is required to make a product releasable.
What are the 3 roles defined in Scrum? ›
What are the three scrum roles? Scrum has three roles: product owner, scrum master and the development team members. While this is pretty clear, what to do with existing job titles can get confusing.
What is a good definition of done Scrum? ›
According to the Scrum Guide, the definition of done is a formal description of your quality standards. Specifically, it's the quality required for work to become part of the Increment. It ensures members of the Scrum Team have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete.
Should definition of done include testing? ›
While not explicit to testing, in order to determine if the criteria is met, the has to be some way of validating that and that usually involves some type of testing. A side benefit of a Definition of Done is that it helps the team instill a level of trust that they are doing good work.
