97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 10. What Will You Define as “Done”?

Gunther Verheyen

Teams and organizations want to capitalize on business and market opportunities. Scrum offers them this option by assuring a “Done” Increment—i.e., a releasable version of product is available no later than by the end of each Sprint. As a Sprint takes no more than four weeks (and often less), the organization can be faster to market, win an opportunity, and generate value.

Without making transparent what Done encapsulates, Scrum cannot be applied effectively. Via a definition of Done, everyone understands what Done means. This is vital when considering the opportunistic value of the product functionality offered in an Increment. The definition of Done also provides crucial clarity for the Development Team when forecasting work deemed feasible for a Sprint. Throughout a Sprint, the definition of Done guides them in assessing whether work on Product Backlog items and the product Increment is complete.

A professional organization only releases Done Increments; Scrum professionals adhere to the definition of Done. Always. No “undone” work is part of an Increment. No undone work is put into production. Ever. Committed professionals reflect on ways to improve product quality as reflected in the definition of Done.

Many teams across the world seem to be unable to create Increments of product that are actually releasable. ...