Definition of Done

Is it DONE, DONE DONE, or is it DONE DONE DONE?

All teams need a Definition of Done. The Definition of Done is an agreement made between the team that a unit of work isn’t complete without meeting certain conditions.

Recommended Practices

We use the Definition of Done most commonly for user stories. The team and product owner must agree that the story has met all criteria for it to be considered done.

A definition of done can include anything a team cares about, but must include these criteria:

• All tests passed
• All acceptance criteria have been met
• Code reviewed by team member and merged to trunk
• Demoed to team/stakeholders as close to prod as possible
• All code associated with the acceptance criteria deployed to production

Once your team has identified all criteria that a unit of work needs to be considered done, you must hold yourself accountable to your Definition of Done.

Value

As a development team, we want to understand our team’s definition of done, so that we can ensure a unit of work is meeting the criteria acceptable for it to be delivered to our customers.

Acceptance Criteria

• Identify what your team cares about as a Definition of Done.
• Use your Definition of Done as a tool to ensure quality stories are being released into production.
• Revisit and evaluate your Definition of Done.