What is the Definition of Done (DOD) in Agile?

Main Index

1. Introduction
2. Scrum Guide on DOD
3. What is the role of DOD in SAFe or different scaling frameworks?
4. Importance of DoD
5. Creation moment of DoD
6. Who creates the DoD in Scrum?
7. How DOD is different from DOR?
8. Alteration time of DoD
9. Advantages of DoD
10. How to obtain your DoD
11. Why do some adopt anti-DoD method?
12. Project management courses
13. How to Use DOD in Scrum:
1. Make DOD necessary:
2. DoD Checklist:
3. Turn DoD the Tasks Oriented:
4. Include PO to inspect DoD at Mid-Sprint:
1. Regression Testing
2. Smoke Testing
5. Code is Documented
6. Assist in update of Documentation
7. Implement DoD with Retrospective Approach:
8. Stakeholders grant the characteristic
14. Conclusion

Introduction

Hi readers! Hope you must have gone through my previous article DOR in Agile. Now,  we'll discuss on the ‘Definition of Done' or (DoD) which is a particular category of working commitment. It apprehends the shared compassion of a team about what “done” refers to them in various projects like IoT projects, machine learning project, ASP.net projects, mobile app projects, chat gpt, cloud project and many more. Profitable project can be expected whenever you have implemented DoD based agile application.

Enhancement of performance capacity of the members is possible when you would like to adapt some latest agile project management application. The theory of the Definition of Done came to be prominent throughout the Scrum framework.

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Scrum Guide on DOD

As per Scrum guide, DOD develops transparency by contributing everyone a shared knowledge of what work was accomplished as part of the improvement. If a Product does not fulfill the DOD (Definition of Done), it cannot be published or even illustrated at the Sprint Review. Instead, it returns back to the Product Backlog for forthcoming consideration.

Many teams speculate their DOD to be kind of a checklist to ensure they have wrapped all the essential needs before announcing that an item is accomplished. This also indicates that the DoD eventually illustrates a quality review for the team.

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What is the role of DOD in SAFe or different scaling frameworks?

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAF) has no particular description of DOD other than they concede and emphasize its presence. Eventually, SAFe comprises of a bigger number of Scrum or Agile teams thus it also stimulates the basic doctrines of Scrum.

For each scaled strategy to develop product i.e. multiple teams performing together on the single product, it is suggested that these groups run in a synchronized approach and share the crucial portions of a DoD. Any team can put in more elements to their DoD, but no team should provide items that different teams do not contemplate as accomplished.

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Importance of DoD

The time one begins performing in a team, it is crucial to develop a shared compassion around numerous things.

Any team needs to be worked on the vision/mission of the same team. Any team needs to have co-made working responsibilities in place and DoD will be prepared accordingly.

Hence, the above shared knowledge of done allows various people working on several items but still providing impressive quality and user friendly. It also brings outcomes in streamlining the onboarding procedure of new team members. Moreover, it gives rise to cross-team affiliation in a scaled project environment much simpler. And eventually, it makes sure that the job of every team and its members meet the need of the company or institutions.

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Creation moment of DoD

It is proposed that teams often make their DoD asap and before the 1st sprint planning. Generally, it is ridiculous to align on how much task a team can snatch into a sprint without an intimated knowledge of ‘done'.

However, if a team is not interested to create a DoD before the 1st sprint planning they will definitely realize through the sprint or later in the sprint study that the outcome quality they have been transporting is not compatible and most likely does not fulfill stakeholder goals.

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Who creates the DoD in Scrum?

Different parties are participated in the building of the DoD. Eventually it is the profession of the Scrum team to formulate this shared knowledge. They need to assess intake from different stakeholders in order to fulfill their objectives.

A typical DOD includes replies to the following questions:

• Can we meet the business needs?
• Can we have a uniform quality?
• As an illustration a DoD could be as follows:
• All acknowledgment criteria are fulfilled.
• All essential tests have been satisfactorily accomplished.
• We have got numerous inspection of the work.
• All essential documentation has been organized.
• Product Owner has surveyed the outcome and is satisfied.

As per the domain of assignment, teams can get longer as well as more précised and occasionally shorter or high level DoD. In many cases, a DoD evolves over the time line of a specific IOT or machine learning project.

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How DOD is different from DOR?

DoD relates to an item being completely built i.e. accomplished. Adverse to that, the DoR explains the need of an item being decent enough so that a team can begin performing on it.

Also, DoD is illustrated in the Scrum Framework, whereas the DoR is not. This is an awesome teams can include. There are general pros and cons of accomplishing that.

DoR catches the shared knowledge of the steps a team desires to snatch to make sure an expectation is well interpreted and a team can grab it into their successive sprint.

Many teams utilize the ideal strategy having acronym INVEST as their DoR.

I means Independent and DoR is the item independent or have assessed dependencies in our important procedure.

N means Negotiable and this explains about relaxation facility on the item.

V means Valuable and knowledge of the value we are making for our users.

E means Estimable and can we compute the effort that delivers this item.

S means Sized suitably and does it fit into our specific sprint or do we find options of formulating it smaller

T means Testable and do we understand what is anticipated from us i.e. have we predicted/ documented the acknowledgment norms.

This is one of strategies to develop a DOR. The most crucial aspects are that no article or item is being begun to function on without the team discussing it.

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Alteration time of DoD

Both the DoD and the DoR should be examined and adapted annually. Does this refer to we refine them ini each sprint? No! But over duration teams will understand that they should revise their DoD.

To provide you a solid example from one of our own projects. A few years ago we began to develop a job portal. In the beginning desktop system was used only. We understood that 72% of our traffic was arriving through mobile equipments. So we consumed a complete sprint to change all current pages and enable them mobile responsive. This expectation then shifted into our DoD, so that moving forward everytime we constructed a new site we instantly make it mobile responsive.

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Advantages of DoD

1. DoD is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The time a Product Backlog item matches the DoD, an growth is produced.
2. DoD assists you reduce the delay probability as the defined steps in DoD produce on time feedback directing you to control all the recognized risky items by examination, adaptation and development at an initial stage.
3. DoD creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was accomplished as part of the Increment. If a Product Backlog item does not meet the DoD, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review. Instead, it returns to the Product Backlog for future consideration.
4. If DOD for an growth is portion of the principles of the organization, all Scrum Teams ought to follow it as a minimum. If it is not a managerial norm, the Scrum Team must develop a DoD suitable for the specific product.
5. The Developers need to make sure to the DoD. If there are different Scrum Teams participating together on a specific product, they ought to define mutually and acknowledge with the same DoD.
6. Over time, DoD will contribute to a team’s working speed by ensuring work isn’t redundant and the transmittable state of the item or app environment matches user story requirement and market goals.
7. DoD affects the quality of an Agile project. Agile workflow procedures are innately flexible but also results-oriented. Experienced Scrum and Agile teams work through this flexible method of working but are also aligned on shared purposes and dedicated to providing the best apparent product as soon as feasible. DoD supports and evaluates this agility.

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How to obtain your DoD

We talked briefly of the risks of perfect achievement and indifference. Both can arise from failing to interpret DoD, and both outcome in a downfall to launch. Several teams and stakeholders may give birth to various ideas of what “done” seems like, but it’s significant to cooperate and negotiate to attain a consensus on acknowledgment criteria for every user story, aspect, or problem and clutch every team member responsible to those norms. These needs must be apparent, actionable, and constantly available.

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Why do some adopt anti-DoD method?

The main reason behind adopting anti-DoD method is lack of knowledge about the significance of DoD.

In most instances, whenever DoD is eliminated, it nibbles the project’ progress & quality. The training on Agile and Scrum helps the project team members to comprehend the significance of DoD and the systemd to implement it. Hence, do not take risk, and, utilize DoD as a Scrum tool for enhancing quality, reducing delay probability and developing confidence with all the stakeholders.

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Project management courses

Following courses are recommended:

• Agile Trainings
• Certified ScrumMaster
• Kanban System Design
• Certified Scrum Product Owner
• Certified Agile Leadership
• Product Roadmap
• Scrum Board

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How to Use DOD in Scrum:

1. Make DOD necessary

To accomplish the project on given time, it is advised to pursue DoD in each sprint checking. Go through DoD for each product backlog item to prepare it “front & centre” for the stakeholders and team members; it will organize excellent comprehending with joint trust between the product owner, project development team, and other stakeholders.

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2. DoD Checklist

Utilize DoD as a checklist for every product backlog item . By going through the comprehensive checklist up to the achievement, continue for the next step.

3. Turn DoD the Tasks Oriente

Make a particular task for every DoD element to make sure that you’re more concentrating on DoD items. Tasks are much simpler to handle by controlling the broadened DoD checklist.

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4. Include PO to inspect DoD at Mid-Sprint

Expand the culture of displaying product backlog item to PO at mid-sprints. It enables PO to understand DoD status.

a. Regression Testing

Regression testing makes sure that new characteristics don't smash current functionality. It's significant because if you're putting in something new, you have to ensure it doesn't intrude with anything else inside your system . If you're not doing this, you'll surely end up with bugs in your request that could result in issues.

b. Smoke Testing

Smoke testing is conducted before a feature moves for production. It judges how well the system performs and detects potential problems before they spread widely across all users.

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5. Code is Documented

It implies that the codebase retains clear, considerable comments, and all relevant data about the stored code in a system that other developers can admit on the team.

6. Assist in update of Documentation

It encompasses anything from the documentation on how to utilize a characteristic to documentation on repairing bugs in the item. If you alter one portion of the code that influences its functionality or posture, that modify requirements to be documented in the assistance documentation. It confirms that users possess the latest correct information about utilizing software product powerfully.

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7. Implement DoD with Retrospective Approach

Often be ready to boost, and investigate the probability to make the procedures more powerful. Enquire of different Scrum teams for creative concepts that enabled them; and, explore the usefulness of tips that are shared in the line of your program.

8. Stakeholders grant the characteristic

Ultimately, before captioning something as finalized or under the DoD, it should be authorized by stakeholders including executives within the same organization and outside clients who are financing projects.

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Conclusion

Hope everyone now must have a better idea about DoD in the field of project management or project development. You can imagine now how DoD helps Software companies at the time of conducting mega projects. Stackholders or funding company will be relaxed to trust on development team because of the presence of DoD in agile method.

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