The sprint ends, the ticket shows "Done" and yet nobody has tested, documented or reviewed the feature. This is exactly what a clear Definition of Done prevents. It defines which criteria must be met before a Product Backlog Item counts as an Increment. When developing your custom software, we therefore rely on a clean DoD from the very beginning.

This article explains what makes a good DoD and how to set it up together with your team. It also shows which mistakes you should avoid.

What the Definition of Done is in Scrum

The Definition of Done, or DoD for short, describes the quality requirements that an Increment must meet. Only when a Product Backlog Item meets these requirements is it considered done.

How the Scrum Guide defines the DoD

The official Scrum Guide describes the DoD as a formal description of the state that an Increment must achieve.[^1] If an element does not meet this description, no Increment is created, and it goes back to the Product Backlog.

Since the 2020 Scrum Guide version, the DoD is one of the three Commitments in Scrum, alongside Sprint Goal and Product Goal.[^1] This means it is not an optional extra, but an integral part of the framework. The glossary entry on Scrum explains more about the fundamentals.

Why a good DoD ensures quality in Scrum teams

Without a DoD, each person on the team ultimately decides for themselves what "done" means. This disagreement rarely becomes apparent immediately, but only when customers or stakeholders evaluate a result differently than expected.

What happens when teams work without a DoD

Without clear criteria, unfinished work accumulates that appears finished at first glance. Without this clarity, stakeholders cannot provide reliable feedback, as Scrum.org emphasizes.[^2]

The result is late surprises. Code remains untested, documentation is missing, or features are technically finished but not functionally accepted. This is exactly what undermines trust in Sprint Reviews, because the results shown are not actually usable.

How to set up a Definition of Done

A good DoD is not created at one person's desk, but together as a team.

Who should collaboratively develop the DoD

Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers each bring their own perspective. The Product Owner knows the functional expectations, the Developers know the technical feasibility.

The Scrum Guide makes it clear that the Developers are obligated to adhere to the Definition of Done.[^1] Therefore, they should also actively shape the criteria, rather than just having them imposed.

Which Done criteria typically belong

A DoD usually covers several areas. These include passed tests, a completed code review, updated documentation and a successful deployment to the test environment.

The article on Code Reviews in Software Development explains how code reviews specifically contribute to quality. Not every criterion fits every project. What matters is that the chosen criteria are actually verifiable.

How to anchor the DoD in the team

A DoD is useless if it only exists in a document that nobody reads. Display the criteria visibly next to the Scrum Board or Kanban Board so they remain present in daily work. The article on Scrum vs. Kanban shows more about the interaction of both boards.

Review the DoD regularly in the Retrospective. Adjust it when requirements for quality or project scope change.

Which common mistakes occur when setting up

A common mistake is a DoD that remains too general, such as just "code works". Such criteria cannot be verified and therefore provide no real guidance.

A second mistake is the opposite. A DoD with too many criteria is often no longer fully adhered to in daily practice. Realistic criteria work better in the long run than a perfect list that gets ignored.

A third mistake is to establish the DoD once and never adjust it again. Teams evolve. Their quality standards should grow with them. The article on agile software development contextualizes how requirements and processes have evolved overall.

Conclusion

A Definition of Done makes visible what "done" actually means in your team. It protects against unfinished work that appears complete at first glance and creates trust in every Sprint Review.

What matters is that the DoD is created together as a team, consists of verifiable criteria, and is regularly reviewed. This keeps it a tool that is actually used, rather than a document that disappears in a drawer.

Would you like to put your Scrum processes on a solid foundation? Schedule a free initial consultation. Together we'll assess where the greatest leverage lies for your team.

Footnotes and Sources

[^1]: Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, "The Scrum Guide", official edition November 2020. https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html [^2]: Scrum.org, "What is the Definition of Done?". https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-definition-done