97 Things Every Java Programmer Should Know

Chapter 38. It’s Done, But…

Jeanne Boyarsky

How many times have you been to a stand-up, daily Scrum or status meeting and heard the phrase “It’s done, but...”? When I hear that, my first thought is “So, it’s not done.” There are three issues with using the word done when it isn’t done.

1. Communication and Clarity

Ideally your team has a definition of done. But even if they don’t, there is probably some expectation of what done means. And, even better, the person reporting on status knows that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have a disclaimer on the task’s done-ness.

Common things that aren’t done include writing tests, documentation, and edge cases. Take a moment and see if you can think of any more. Similarly, I don’t like the term done done. It implicitly blesses the idea that done doesn’t actually mean done. Be a clear communicator. If something isn’t done, don’t say it’s done.

This is an opportunity for you to convey more information. For example, “I coded the happy path and next I will add validation” or “I finished all the code—the only thing remaining is for me to update the user manual” or even “I thought I was done and then discovered the widget doesn’t work on Tuesdays.” All of these give information to your team.

2. Perception

Managers like hearing the word done. It means you are free to take on more work. Or help a teammate. Or pretty much anything that does not include ...