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Writer's pictureNabeel Ansar

Defining Definition of DONE

When you buy a new car, you have certain expectations about the end product.

Despite the best intentions, if the customer expectations do not align with the producer’s understanding of those expectations, then conflict and unhappiness generally follow. Whether a tile doesn’t quite line up, the car is dirty, you are disappointed.


A clearly communicated and shared set of expectations creates the transpar- ency needed to avoid this problem.

Software is no different. Whether you purchase a software package, consume a product as a service, or implement against an external API, you have certain expectations about quality, performance, and support. These expectations define what it means to be truly “Done.”


What should “Done” include? The answer depends on the context.

Good candidates are:

  • thoroughly tested

  • integrated

  • documented

  • releasable

Well question arises, how much testing? How much documentation?

There is not one universal definition of “Done” for all possible products. However, you need to ensure that “Done” allows for continuous releases with- out disappointing your customers and other stakeholders and is clearly com- municated and understood by all people involved.


From the Scrum Guide When a Product Backlog item or an Increment is described as “Done,” everyone must understand what “Done” means. Although this may vary significantly per Scrum Team, members must have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, to ensure transparency


Being a Product Owner it's important to understand the concepts of the definition of “Done” and be aware that they could have dire consequences in the long run. That is why you want to know about them and track them. If this is not already happening, then ask your Development Team to start measuring them and to maybe add the measurements into the automated continuous integration environment, which will let everybody know the moment the Development Team checks in any code that violates the definition of “Done.”


Example Definition of DONE

What “Done” means may vary wildly from team to team. Following are example definitions of “Done” of a certain team:


TEAM A:

  • Created design

  • Updated documentation

  • Tested

  • Approved by Product Owner

  • Clear on “how to demo” at Sprint Review

That is it for this article. I hope you found this article useful, if you need any help please email me at info@nabeelansar.com


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👋 Thanks for reading, See you next time

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