Definition of Done
Quality criteria for completed work.
PURPOSE
Without clear quality criteria, agile teams frequently disagree on when a task is truly done. The Definition of Done eliminates this ambiguity by defining explicit, measurable criteria for completion. It protects against the accumulation of technical debt and ensures that every increment meets a consistent quality standard.
HOW TO USE
The team collaboratively creates a list of criteria that must be met before a backlog item is considered done. Typical criteria include code review, test coverage, documentation, and deployment readiness. The Definition of Done is regularly reviewed in retrospectives and expanded as the team matures.
WHAT IT IS
The Definition of Done (DoD) is an agreement anchored in the Scrum Guide that establishes quality criteria for completed work. It is a checklist that applies equally to all backlog items of a team. The DoD creates transparency about the quality standard and is binding for the entire Scrum Team.
EXAMPLE
Example: In your development team, there are constant discussions about whether a feature is done — some say it is when the code is written, others only after code review and testing. You work with the team to create a Definition of Done that clearly states: code written, review passed, unit tests green, documentation updated, deployed to staging.