Role:
As a Scrum Master,
Context:
when needing to clarify a fundamental Scrum concept for the development team or stakeholders,
Action:
explain '[Scrum concept, e.g., Sprint Goal' or 'Definition of Done'] in simple terms that are easily understandable by diverse audiences.
Think about assembling a piece of furniture. Before you can say "it's done," you have a checklist: are all the screws in? Is it stable? Does it look like the picture? Only when all those boxes are ticked is it truly "done."
In Scrum, the Definition of Done (DoD) is that shared checklist for everything the team creates. It's a clear, agreed-upon set of criteria that a piece of work (like a feature or a task) must meet before it can be considered complete and ready to be used by customers.
Why it's useful: It ensures quality, builds trust, and makes sure everyone has the same understanding of what "finished" means, preventing misunderstandings and rework.
The Definition of Done is like a checklist that the team agrees on to say, “This work is 100% finished.” It tells us what “done” really means—so everyone is on the same page. For example, if we're building a login feature, “done” might mean the code is written, tested, reviewed, and working in the app without bugs.
We use the Definition of Done to make sure we don’t have surprises later—like finding out something isn’t really complete. It helps the team deliver high-quality work and builds trust with stakeholders.
What is the Definition of Done?
The Definition of Done (DoD) is a clear and concise list of criteria that a product increment must meet to be considered complete. It serves as a checklist that ensures all necessary work has been done before a feature or product is delivered.
In Simple Terms:
Think of the Definition of Done as a recipe for baking a cake. Just like you need to follow specific steps and have certain ingredients to make a cake successfully, the Definition of Done outlines what needs to be completed for a piece of work to be considered finished.
For example, if you were baking a cake, your recipe might include steps like mixing the ingredients, baking for a certain time, and letting it cool. Similarly, the Definition of Done might include criteria such as: