Definition of Done

Summary

A team's explicit, shared checklist for when a story is truly complete — code merged, tested, documented, deployed — preventing the 'it's done except for...' problem.

How to Learn This

1Draft a Definition of Done checklist for a hypothetical engineering team.
2Learn why 'done' without a shared definition causes disputes at sprint review.
3Distinguish Definition of Done (team-level) from Acceptance Criteria (story-level).

Story Pointing & Estimation

Release Management

More topics in Agile, Execution & Delivery

Agile Principles & the Agile Manifesto Scrum vs Kanban Sprint Planning Backlog Grooming & Refinement Standups & Ceremonies Story Pointing & Estimation Release Management Roadmap Tools (Jira, Linear, Productboard)Managing Scope Creep Risk Management Shipping & Post-Launch Monitoring

Stuck on this topic? Ask an Insider

Get 1:1 guidance from people who've walked this exact path — free on the InsideEdge app.

Download