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What Is The Definition Of Done In The Scrum Framework? This Might Surprise You!

In the Scrum framework, the factors which define when a feature is complete and when it meets the required quality standards are set by Definition of Done (DoD).

As it was clarified before in this material, DoDs specify the expected outcome in terms of functional and non-functional requirements, design, coding, unit testing, end-user validations, documentation, and so on. Teams may use story acceptance criteria and task checklists to clarify functional, non-functional, and working expectations.

These support a common product Definition of Done; they do not replace it with a different quality standard for each item.

The Scrum Team is not allowed to close the user stories, and obviously, the tasks that do not fulfill their DoDs. Definition of Done (DoD) is used to decide whether a User Story from the Sprint Backlog is complete or not. DoD is a comprehensive checklist of required activities to ensure that only truly completed features are delivered, not only in terms of functionality but in terms of quality as well. The norms which a Scrum Team uses to define DoDs may vary from one team to another, but the product’s Definition of Done must be consistent. Teams working on one product share it, and any organizational standard is the minimum.

Organizations may use complementary goals, acceptance criteria, or checklists at several levels. These are useful planning aids, not substitutes for the common Increment-level Definition of Done:

• Project/Product checklist (in the project goals)
• Release checklist (in the release goals)
• Sprint checklist (in the Sprint goals)
• User Story acceptance criteria (in the User Story)
• Task checklist (in the task)

One more essential thing to keep in mind here is that a DoD is neither static nor indisputable. During the course of a project, a release, or a sprint, a DoD can be challenged by anyone from the Scrum team or other business and IT stakeholders. As long as the proposed changes to the Definition of Done make sense and they're brought up to bring the project to success, the Scrum Team and the Scrum Product Owner should be open minded to listen to those proposals and implement them where appropriate without reducing quality or marking unfinished work as Done.