Definition of Done (DoD) – Detail Explanation

The DoD is an agreement within the team about what should met for a product backlog item to be considered as complete. This shared understanding ensures consistency and quality in deliverables. For example, a task might only be marked as done if the code is written, reviewed, and merged, all relevant tests have passed, and documentation is updated. The DoD prevents incomplete or subpar work from being delivered, ensuring the team consistently delivers high-quality increments by providing a clear standards.

This article contains a detail practical explanation of Definition of Done (DoD) with good examples for deepen the understanding.

What is Definition of Done (DoD)

The Definition of Done (DoD) is a mutual understanding within the Scrum Team that establishes what conditions should complete for the work to be considered as potentially shippable increment. DoD outlines the quality standards and specific criteria that a user story, feature, or product increment must meet to be considered as “done” by the end of a sprint. The DoD ensures transparency, fosters accountability, and provides a clear benchmark for the team to follow when completing their work by defining these expectations.

Importance of DoD in a User Story

The Definition of Done (DoD) is important in a user story because it establishes clear objective criteria that define what it means for the user story to be “done”. It helps the team deliver work that is complete, high-quality, and ready for use or deployment. Here are some points why it really matters,

1. Clarity and Alignment – The DoD creates a shared understanding among team members about what is required to consider a user story complete. It eliminates ambiguity, ensuring everyone is on the same page about the deliverables.
2. Customer Value Delivery – A user story that meets the DoD is not just complete but also potentially shippable. This ensures that the work delivered to stakeholders or customers adds immediate value and aligns with their expectations.
3. Ensures Quality – The DoD includes things like testing, code reviews, and documentation. Following these steps helps the team deliver reliable, error-free work, which meets the quality expectations.
4. Prevents Incomplete Work – Without a clear DoD, there’s a risk of tasks being marked as complete despite missing key elements like proper testing or integration. The DoD mitigates this risk, ensuring all necessary components are in place.
5. Quality Assurance – The DoD ensures that the user story meets agreed-upon quality benchmarks by setting specific standards for testing, documentation, and functionality. This reduces defects and rework in later stages.
6. Team Accountability – It holds the team accountable for meeting consistent quality standards, fostering discipline and professionalism in delivering work that is ready for production or demonstration.
7. Minimize Risk of Re-Work – DoD ensures that team completes what is acually needs to be done. This reduces the risk of re-work.
8. Helps with Planning – Scrum team can estimate and plan their work more accurately when they know exactly what needs to be done.

Definition of Done (DoD) for an Epic

An Epic is a large body of work in Agile that represents a high-level business requirement or feature. It is too big to be completed in a single sprint and is broken down into smaller, manageable user stories or tasks. It means an epic will be broken to multiple user stories.

The Definition of Done (DoD) for an Epic is essential to ensure that the larger, more complex work encapsulated in the Epic is fully completed, cohesive, and ready to deliver value. Since an Epic spans multiple user stories or tasks, across multiple sprints, the DoD must cover higher-level completion criteria to ensure alignment across all the contributing parts. Here is why the DoD is important for an Epic,

1. Consistency Across User Stories – The DoD for an Epic ensures that all individual user stories contributing to the Epic meet their respective DoD. This guarantees that every piece of the Epic is built to the same quality standards and integrates seamlessly.
2. Clear Completion Criteria – The DoD defines when the Epic as a whole can be considered “done.” This often includes meeting all acceptance criteria, verifying the delivery of intended business value, and ensuring that the Epic’s objectives are fully realized.
3. Validation of Business Value – The DoD ensures that the Epic delivers the expected value to stakeholders or customers. It often involves confirming that the functionality addresses the problem or opportunity described in the Epic and that the solution is usable in its intended environment.
4. Holistic Testing and Integration – Beyond individual user story testing, the DoD for an Epic includes end-to-end testing, system integration, and performance validation. This ensures the Epic works as intended in real-world conditions.
5. Stakeholder Review and Feedback – A complete Epic DoD often includes stakeholder review and approval. This step ensures that the Epic aligns with strategic goals and meets stakeholder expectations before it is marked as “done”
6. Readiness for Release – The DoD ensures the Epic is not only complete but also able to deploy. This may include updating user documentation, training materials, or any support resources needed to release the Epic to production or stakeholders.

Following are some examples of Definition of Done (DoD) for an Epic,

• All related user stories are completed, tested, and meet their individual DoD.
• End-to-end functionality is validated, ensuring all components of the Epic work seamlessly together.
• Acceptance criteria for the Epic are met and verified by stakeholders.
• Integration testing with external systems or services is successfully completed.
• All required documentation, including user guides and support materials, is updated and reviewed.
• Performance benchmarks for the Epic are achieved, ensuring the solution works efficiently under expected load conditions.
• The Epic delivers its intended business value, as confirmed through stakeholder review and approval.
• Compliance requirements (e.g., security, privacy, or regulatory) are met, and any audits are passed.
• The system is deployable to production without unresolved issues, and deployment plans are ready.
• Training resources for end users or internal teams are prepared and made available.
• Feedback from relevant stakeholders is incorporated, and any identified improvements are implemented.
• The Epic is reviewed during the sprint review or demo, showcasing its value and functionality to stakeholders.

Examples of Definition of Done (DoD)

Following are some examples of Definition of Done (DoD) which categorized based on each phase of the work,

• Development Phase
  • All planned functionality for the user story is implemented.
  • Code adheres to the team’s agreed-upon coding standards and naming conventions.
  • No hardcoded values, configuration is externalized where necessary.
  • All code is minified and gzipped.
  • The code compiles without errors or warnings.
  • All code is minified and gzipped.
  • All TO-DO comments in the code have been resolved.

• Code Review
  • Code has been reviewed and approved by at least one or two team members.
  • All review comments have been addressed or discussed.
  • Potential security vulnerabilities identified during the review have been fixed.
  • Code changes do not introduce technical debt.
  • Merge conflicts have been resolved, and the code is ready to integrate into the main branch.

• Testing
  • Unit tests are written with at least 80% coverage or meet the team’s agreed-upon threshold.
  • Functional tests validate that the feature works as intended.
  • Regression tests ensure existing functionality is not affected by the changes.
  • Performance tests ensure that the application performs within acceptable limits.
  • The feature has been tested on all targeted devices, browsers, or environments.

• Documentation
  • Inline code comments explain complex logic where applicable.
  • User-facing documentation, such as user guides or FAQs, is updated.
  • API documentation (e.g., Swagger) is updated for new or modified endpoints.
  • Change logs or release notes include relevant updates.

• Product Functionality
  • The feature meets all acceptance criteria outlined in the user story.
  • Edge cases and error scenarios have been handled.
  • Localization requirements, if any, have been implemented and tested.
  • The feature integrates seamlessly with other components of the system.

• Release Readiness
  • Deployment scripts or pipelines are updated and tested for the new feature.
  • The increment is deployable to production or staging without manual intervention.
  • Any necessary feature toggles or flags are in place for controlled releases.
  • Product increment deployed to staging environment and tested by the team.

• Stakeholder Review
  • The Product Owner has reviewed and accepted the deliverable.
  • The increment has been demonstrated during the sprint review to gather feedback.
  • The feature is approved for release by stakeholders.

• Compliance and Security
  • All applicable compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) have been met.
  • Security testing, such as vulnerability scans or penetration tests, has been completed.
  • Sensitive data is handled and stored in compliance with company policies.

• Bug Fixing
  • Any bugs related to the feature have been identified, documented, and resolved.
  • Bugs found during testing have been re-tested to ensure they are fixed.

Role of Definition of Done (DoD) in Agile

The Definition of Done (DoD) plays an important role in Agile by acting as a benchmark for quality and completeness. This ensures that each increment delivered is genuinely shippable and meets the agreed-upon standards. It aligns the team on what constitutes a “done” product, creating a shared understanding across all stakeholders. By embedding quality into the process, the DoD minimizes technical debt, enhances transparency, and promotes accountability. It ensures that every product backlog item meets essential criteria, such as passing tests, adhering to coding standards, updating documentation, and addressing acceptance criteria. This guarantees that the work delivered is not only functional but also production-ready, enabling teams to deliver consistent value in each sprint.

Moreover, the DoD reinforces Agile principles like transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement. This helps to set clear expectations for the team, fostering alignment and reducing misunderstandings between developers, testers, and the Product Owner. The DoD also helps the team focus on delivering value by ensuring increments are truly “done” and not just partially complete or requiring additional work post-sprint. As the team matures, the DoD should evolve to reflect higher standards, driving continuous improvement and enabling the team to meet the dynamic demands of stakeholders while maintaining agility and quality.

When should Scrum Team create the Definition of Done (DoD)?

The Scrum Team should create the Definition of Done (DoD) as early as possible in the project. If the project has a Sprint 0 (a preparatory sprint), the team can use this time to define the DoD. Alternatively, it can be discussed and finalized during the planning meeting of the first sprint. This allows the team to begin development with clear quality standard.

Also if the team is new to Scrum or forming for the first time, creating the DoD should be part of setting up the team’s working agreements, ensuring alignment on how work will be completed. Defining the DoD ensures the team aligns with stakeholder expectations and quality requirements from the outset.

The Scrum Team establishes clear benchmarks for quality, consistency, and completeness, helping to reduce misunderstandings and improve collaboration throughout the project by creating the DoD in early stages of the project. This ensures that everyone has a shared understanding of the criteria for completing work before starting the actual development.

Steps to Create Definition of Done (DoD)

1. Gather the Scrum Team
   Scrum team should be present to create the DoD. Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team, should be available to collaborate on creating the DoD.
2. Understand the Project Needs
   Scrum team should discuss the project goals, quality expectations, and stakeholder requirements. Product backlog should be examine thoroughly to get an idea what work should be completed. Everyone should understand what “done” means for the team and product.
3. Define Quality Standards
   Agree on the criteria that ensure high-quality work, such as code reviews, testing, and documentation.
4. Include Stakeholder Expectations
   Consider inputs from wider stakeholders to ensure the product meets business needs and adds value. This should include major parties who has an interest or influence of the projects, typically the Customer, Management, Project Sponsor, Architects, etc..
5. Start with Basic Criteria
   It is important to begin with common standards like code completed, peer-reviewed, unit tested, and deployed to a staging environment. Team should start in a very basic level and improve this in each sprint. Starting with more complex DoD will decrease motivation of the team and it will feel as an extra burden for the team.
6. Customize for the Team
   Tailor the DoD to suit the team’s processes, tools, and specific project requirements. For example, include security checks or performance benchmarks if relevant.
7. Validate Completeness
   Ensure the DoD covers all necessary aspects of work, including development, testing, documentation, and deployment readiness.
8. Make It Measurable
   Write the DoD criteria in clear, measurable terms so the team can objectively verify when work is “done.”
9. Document and Share
   Write down the DoD in a sharable wiki page/common location and make it easily accessible to the team and stakeholders. Transparency ensures alignment.
10. Review and Update Regularly
    Scrum team should revisit the DoD periodically to reflect changes in the team’s workflow, technology, or project needs. Keep it relevant and practical. Change it as an when required during the retro, while getting inputs from all the team members.

Best Practices of Definition of Done (DoD) in Agile

Following are some best practices of DoD which followed by high-performing agile teams,

1. During DoD definition, ensure the entire Scrum team, including the Product Owner and Scrum Master collaborates.
2. Align the DoD with organizational and customer specific standards, including quality, compliance, and security requirements.
3. Start with a simple DoD and enhance it over time as the team matures and gains experience.
4. Keep the DoD visible to the team, such as on a wiki page, confluence page, board, or shared workspace, for easy reference.
5. Define realistic and achievable criteria that the team can consistently meet within each sprint, based on current team maturity.
6. Focus on quality by including steps like testing, documentation updates, and stakeholder reviews.
7. Incorporate automated and manual testing as part of the DoD to ensure robust functionality.
8. Customize the DoD to suit the team’s specific context, technology stack, and product requirements.
9. Refer to the DoD during sprint planning to ensure proper estimation and preparation of tasks.
10. Regularly audit the team’s adherence to the DoD and discuss improvements during retrospectives.
11. Foster buy-in from all team members to build ownership and accountability around the DoD.
12. Embed the DoD into ticket based workflow tools like Jira, Zoho, Trello, to track completion criteria effectively.
13. Use sprint retrospective to revisit and update the DoD as new challenges, technologies, or learning arise, and along with team matures.

Can the DoD change Over Time?

The Definition of Done (DoD) can and should change over time as the team evolves, adopts new practices, or adjusts to the needs of the project. Agile promotes continuous improvement, and the DoD is no exception. Here are a few scenarios when the DoD might change,

1. Team Maturity – As the team gains experience and improves its processes, it may raise its quality standards by adding new criteria, such as more rigorous testing or advanced documentation.
2. Project Requirements – Changes in stakeholder expectations, regulatory requirements, or business goals may require updating the DoD to reflect these new priorities.
3. Adoption of New Tools or Techniques – the DoD may evolve to incorporate various advancements like, if the team adopts new tools, automation processes, or development practices.
4. Feedback from Retrospectives – The team will usually identify gaps or inefficiencies in the current DoD and refine it to address these issues during Sprint Retrospectives.
5. Changes in Product Complexity – As the product grows, the DoD might expand to include additional integration checks, performance benchmarks, or deployment readiness criteria.

How does the DoD differ for User Stories, Tasks, and Epics?

The Definition of Done (DoD) slighly differs for user stories, tasks, and epics based on the scope and complexity of the work item. Following is how the DoD varies for each,

1. User Stories
   The DoD for user stories focuses on ensuring the specific functionality or feature is complete and meets quality standards. The goal of a user story is to deliver a larger feature or capability that aligns with business objectives. Some examples are,
   • All related user stories meet their individual DoD.
   • End-to-end functionality is tested, validated, and integrated into the system.
   • Performance benchmarks and non-functional requirements are met.
   • Documentation, training materials, and deployment plans are ready.
   • Stakeholder review and approval of the entire epic are completed.
     
     
2. Tasks
   Tasks are smaller units of work (often technical or supporting) that contribute to completing a user story or other deliverable. Tasks typically focus on technical or process-level completion. The DoD here is narrower and some examples are following,
   • Code or configuration changes are completed.
   • Peer review is done.
   • Testing relevant to the task (e.g., a unit test) is performed.
   • The task is verified to support the user story or epic it belongs to.
     
     
3. Epics
   The DoD for epics is broader and focuses on the cohesive delivery of all related user stories and tasks. The goal of an epic is to deliver a larger feature or capability that aligns with business objectives. It ensures the epic is complete as a whole and ready to deliver business value. Following are some examples,
   • All related user stories meet their individual DoD.
   • End-to-end functionality is tested, validated, and integrated into the system.
   • Performance benchmarks and non-functional requirements are met.
   • Documentation, training materials, and deployment plans are ready.
   • Stakeholder review and approval of the entire epic are completed.

Who is responsible for creating the DoD?

The Scrum Team as a whole is responsible for creating the Definition of Done (DoD).

• The Development Team focuses on the technical aspects, ensuring the criteria are achievable and aligned with their capabilities, such as coding standards and testing.
• The Product Owner provides input from the business side, ensuring the DoD aligns with the product’s goals and stakeholder expectations.
• The Scrum Master facilitates the process, ensuring collaboration and continuous improvement of the DoD.

Ultimately, the DoD is a shared responsibility that reflects the team’s collective input and expertise.

What is the difference between the Definition of Done and Acceptance Criteria?

The Definition of Done (DoD) and Acceptance Criteria are both essential in Agile, but they serve different purposes and operate at different levels. The DoD is a checklist that applies to all work items (epics, user stories, & tasks) in the backlog. It defines the general criteria that must be met for any work to be considered complete.

On the other hand, Acceptance Criteria are specific conditions linked to a particular user story or feature. They outline what needs to be true for that story to be considered complete from a functional standpoint. Acceptance criteria are typically written from the user’s perspective, focusing on specific requirements or behaviors that must be met for the feature to work as expected. For instance, an acceptance criterion for a login feature could be “As a user, I should be able to log in using my email and password,” or “The system should display an error message if login fails.” These criteria help ensure that the delivered functionality aligns with the user’s needs and expectations.

The DoD and Acceptance Criteria differ in scope, purpose, and detail. The DoD applies to all work items in the project and ensures overall quality and readiness, while acceptance criteria are focused on specific functionality for a given user story or feature. The DoD provides a broad, technical standard for quality, while acceptance criteria offer a specific, detailed, functional view of what needs to be achieved to satisfy the user.

Both of these are necessary to ensure that the team delivers high-quality work that meets both business and technical requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is the DoD validated during a sprint?
   The team uses the DoD to review work during the sprint and at the Sprint Review to ensure all criteria are met before marking work as “done”
   
2. What happens if work doesn’t meet the DoD?
   It is not considered complete and typically carried over to the next sprint for refinement or additional work.
   
3. How does the DoD contribute to Agile values and principles?
   It supports transparency, quality, and collaboration, aligning with Agile principles of delivering working software and maintaining technical excellence.
   
4. What is Agile?
   Agile is a flexible approach to project management and software development that focuses on delivering small, incremental improvements through short cycles called sprints. It emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, and customer-focused delivery. Agile allows teams to adjust to changes quickly and ensures continuous value delivery.
   
5. What is Scrum?
   Scrum is a specific framework within Agile used to manage complex projects. It involves structured roles, ceremonies, and artifacts to help teams work together, deliver high-quality results, and continuously improve. Scrum organizes work into short, time-boxed iterations called sprints, typically lasting 2-4 weeks.
   
6. What are the key roles in Scrum?
   Scrum defines three key roles: The Product Owner, who manages the product backlog and ensures the team works on the highest priority tasks; the Scrum Master, who helps the team follow Scrum practices and removes obstacles; and the Development Team, a group of professionals who work together to complete the tasks during a sprint.
   
7. What is a Product Backlog?
   The Product Backlog is a list of all the features, enhancements, bug fixes, and tasks that need to be completed in the project. It is constantly updated and prioritized by the Product Owner, so the team always knows the most important tasks to work on next.
   
8. What is a Sprint Backlog?
   The Sprint Backlog is a list of user stories or tasks that the Scrum team commits to complete in the current sprint. These tasks are selected from the product backlog based on priority and team capacity, and the team focuses on them throughout the sprint.
   
9. What are Scrum ceremonies?
   Scrum ceremonies are key meetings that help the team stay aligned. They include Sprint Planning, where the team decides what to work on during the sprint; Daily Standups, where team members update each other on progress; Sprint Review, where the completed work is demonstrated to stakeholders; and Sprint Retrospective, where the team discusses how to improve.
   
10. What is the role of a Scrum Master?
    The Scrum Master helps the team follow Scrum practices, facilitates Scrum ceremonies, and removes any obstacles that might slow down progress. They act as a coach, ensuring the team works efficiently and continuously improves their processes.
    
11. What is the role of a Product Owner?
    The Product Owner is responsible for managing the product backlog, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring that the team works on the most valuable features. They collaborate with stakeholders to understand their needs and communicate those to the team.
    
12. What is an Increment in Scrum?
    An Increment is the completed work delivered at the end of a sprint. It’s a potentially shippable product that includes everything done during the sprint and is available for review or release. Each increment builds upon the previous one, adding more functionality to the product.
    
13. How do Scrum and Agile differ?
    Agile is a set of principles for software development, while Scrum is a specific methodology that applies those principles through structured roles, ceremonies, and artifacts. Scrum is just one way to implement Agile, providing a more detailed framework for working in short iterations.
    
14. What are common challenges in Scrum?
    Some common challenges in Scrum include resistance to adopting Scrum practices, unclear roles or responsibilities, issues with prioritization, and difficulties in managing dependencies. Teams may also struggle to maintain consistent commitment to Scrum ceremonies or to deliver potentially shippable increments at the end of each sprint.