Description
The definition of done (DOD) is a fundamental element of any agile project that helps maintain quality and limit scope. It is an agreement within the team that defines what must be completed for each user story in order to be presented at a sprint review with the product owner. Definition of done can be applied to epics, user stories, and tasks using unique criteria to define when each is “done.” The DOD can be extended to each agile including sprint planning, sprint demos, retrospectives, and backlog grooming in order to achieve team agreement that each ceremony is complete. In that case, the DOD defines the tasks and work items required to complete each agile ceremony.
Code and test cases are written.
Code was peer reviewed and met coding standards.
Code passed all relevant unit tests.
User story was tested and passed all associated tests.
Code was deployed to system test environment and passed system tests.
Code was deployed to integration environment and passed integration tests.
User story/test cases passed User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The UAT is based on the acceptance criteria that were established for the user story.
The remaining hours for a task are set to zero and a user story is moved to “Done” on the scrum board.
Required product documentation (e.g., User Guide, Installation Guide, design documents) was produced, reviewed, and approved.
Any build, deployment, or configuration changes were implemented, documented, and communicated.
Typical Roles
Agile Team
Product Owner
Desired Behaviors
- 1.
Convene the team and agree on which work products and ceremonies will be subject to the definition of done.
- 2.
Convene the agile team to establish and agree upon the definition of done for a typical user story, and any other work product subject to the DOD.
- 3.
Post the DOD as an information radiator in a location visible to all team members.
- 4.
Use the DOD to determine if each user story or work product is complete before moving it to the “Done” column on the task board.
- 5.
Discuss the effectiveness of the team’s DOD at each sprint retrospective. Adjust the DOD as necessary.