Who defines the definition of done?

The development team creates the DoD collaboratively, with input from the product owner and Scrum Master. It reflects the team's agreement on what quality means. The organisation may set minimum standards that all teams must include, but the team can add additional criteria. The DoD should be reviewed and updated at retrospectives.

What if a story meets acceptance criteria but not the DoD?

The story is not done. Acceptance criteria are specific to a story, but the DoD applies to all stories. Both must be satisfied. For example, a story might meet all its functional acceptance criteria, but if the code has not been reviewed or tests are not passing, it does not meet the DoD and should not be considered complete.

Should the DoD change over time?

Yes, the DoD should evolve as the team matures. Early on, the DoD might be basic (code works, tests pass). Over time, it can be expanded to include more rigorous criteria (performance testing, security scanning, accessibility checks). Review the DoD at retrospectives and raise the bar when the team is consistently meeting current standards.

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Definition of Done (DoD)

Also known as:DoDdone criteriacompletion criteria

A shared agreement within the team that defines all the conditions a work item must meet before it can be considered complete and potentially releasable.

In-Depth Explanation

The Definition of Done (DoD) is a team-level standard that establishes the quality criteria every piece of work must meet before it can be considered finished. It ensures consistency and quality across all deliverables.

Common DoD elements for software development:

Code is written and peer-reviewed
All unit tests pass
Integration tests pass
Code meets coding standards and linting rules
Documentation is updated
Acceptance criteria are verified
No known critical or high-severity defects
Performance requirements are met
Security requirements are satisfied
Changes are deployed to the staging environment
Product owner has accepted the work

DoD for non-software work:

Deliverable meets the specification or brief
Quality review completed by a peer
Stakeholder sign-off obtained
Documentation is updated
Necessary approvals are recorded
Deliverable is accessible to intended audience

DoD best practices:

Create the DoD collaboratively with the entire team
Keep it visible (posted in the team area or workspace)
Review and update regularly (typically at retrospectives)
Apply it consistently to all work items
Distinguish between DoD (team-level) and acceptance criteria (story-level)
Evolve the DoD as the team matures (gradually raising the bar)

The DoD serves as a quality gate - work that does not meet the DoD is not done, regardless of how much effort has been invested. This prevents technical debt from accumulating and ensures a consistent standard of quality.

Business Context

A clear definition of done prevents "almost done" items from cluttering projects, ensures consistent quality standards, and builds trust between the delivery team and stakeholders.

How Clever Ops Uses This

Clever Ops maintains rigorous definitions of done for all client work, ensuring that every deliverable meets quality, documentation, and acceptance standards before it is presented to the client. We help Australian businesses establish their own DoD practices to improve delivery quality.

Example Use Case

"A development team agrees that "done" means code reviewed, all tests passing, documentation updated, deployed to staging, and accepted by the product owner - no exceptions."