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¶ Definition of Done
¶ What it is
The definition of Done is the content you use to determine whether a ticket is done. Different teams have different DoDs. For varying levels of details (epic, feature, user story), DoDs are also different.
¶ Why it is useful
In teamwork, everyone must have the same understanding of the acceptance criteria of a task. Otherwise, the final delivery may differ from what the end users want. It lowers the amount of rework the team does and reduces the risk of low-quality delivery getting into higher-level environments.
¶ When to use it
- Before an assignee starts working, he must be clear about what he is supposed to do and how to measure if he has done the expected job.
- After the assignee finishes the job, the next step is for the audit team to ensure that the job is completed as expected.
- As mentioned in the SLA resolution time section, you need an exact time to reflect the resolution time. Therefore, DoD is an important criterion.
¶ How is it done
- Within the production team, review your workflows and software development process.
- In discussion with the team, set the relevant DoD criteria for handling tickets at each stage.
- Leave relevant hints and reminders that reinforce the process throughout your ticket management environment to remind the team.
- Take the time to review your processes, including the DoD, at least every half year to ensure that as the team and complexity grow, the processes are still appropriate and everyone is on the same page.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Think through the whole lifecycle of a ticket and define the relevant DoD.
- Involve all team members involved in a ticket lifecycle and ensure they can have their say in what they expect to be delivered to them and what they can provide.
Don't
- Don’t set a top-down process without consulting the team; it will result in more friction than it resolves.
¶ Tools needed
- Text editing software (for capturing the process)
- Ticket management software (for implementing the process)
¶ Useful Tips
¶ Definition of Done VS Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria (AC) are sometimes also referred to as DoD. But usually, AC is specific to what the users will finally experience. So it is primarily defined in a user story.
The Definition of Done is more comprehensive as it can be applied to everything the engineers are attempting to ship. Eg. It can be a checklist of items that may include the AC of a user story and an ‘OK’ by the Product Manager.
