Definition of Done | Shared Quality Standards

Create a shared understanding of what complete means for your team. GitScrum's Definition of Done ensures consistency, prevents rework, and aligns expectations.

6 min read

Definition of Done (DoD) is the shared understanding of what "complete" means. Without it, "done" means different things to different people—leading to incomplete work, quality issues, and confusion. A good DoD creates clarity and consistency.

DoD vs Acceptance Criteria

Creating DoD

Building Your Definition

CREATING DEFINITION OF DONE
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START WITH BASICS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Minimum viable DoD:
├── Code is written
├── Code is reviewed
├── Tests pass
├── Merged to main
├── Deployable
└── Baseline quality

ADD QUALITY ITEMS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Unit tests written
├── Integration tests (if applicable)
├── Code coverage maintained
├── No new warnings
├── Documentation updated
├── Security scan passed
└── Quality gates

ADD PROCESS ITEMS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── PR reviewed by 2 developers
├── Acceptance criteria verified
├── Product Owner approved
├── Deployed to staging
├── Smoke tested
└── Process compliance

TEAM DISCUSSION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Questions to ask:
├── "What does done mean to us?"
├── "What have we shipped that wasn't ready?"
├── "What quality issues do we see?"
├── "What would catch problems earlier?"
├── Collaborative definition
└── Team ownership

Example DoD

Complete Definition

EXAMPLE DEFINITION OF DONE
══════════════════════════

CODE COMPLETE:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ Feature implemented as specified
☐ Code follows team standards
☐ No commented-out code
☐ No console.log/print debugging
☐ Self-documenting code (clear names)

TESTED:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ Unit tests written and passing
☐ Integration tests (if applicable)
☐ Manual testing completed
☐ Edge cases considered
☐ No known bugs

REVIEWED:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ Code review by 2 team members
☐ Review feedback addressed
☐ No unresolved comments

MERGED:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ PR merged to main branch
☐ CI pipeline passing
☐ No merge conflicts

DOCUMENTED:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ API documentation updated
☐ README updated if needed
☐ Significant decisions documented

DEPLOYED:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ Deployed to staging environment
☐ Smoke tested in staging
☐ Ready for production deploy

ACCEPTANCE:
─────────────────────────────────────
☐ Acceptance criteria verified
☐ Product Owner reviewed
☐ Demo-ready

DoD Levels

Multiple Definitions

DOD LEVELS
══════════

STORY LEVEL:
─────────────────────────────────────
For each user story:
├── Code complete
├── Tests pass
├── Code reviewed
├── Merged
├── Documentation updated
├── Acceptance criteria met
└── Story complete

SPRINT LEVEL:
─────────────────────────────────────
For sprint to be complete:
├── All stories meet story DoD
├── Sprint goal achieved
├── Increment is releasable
├── No critical bugs
├── Demo completed
├── Retrospective held
└── Sprint complete

RELEASE LEVEL:
─────────────────────────────────────
For release to be complete:
├── All sprint DoDs met
├── Release testing passed
├── Performance validated
├── Security reviewed
├── Documentation complete
├── Release notes written
├── Stakeholder sign-off
└── Ready to ship

Evolving DoD

Improving Over Time

EVOLVING DEFINITION OF DONE
═══════════════════════════

REGULAR REVIEW:
─────────────────────────────────────
In retrospectives:
├── "Are we meeting our DoD?"
├── "What slips through?"
├── "What should we add?"
├── "What's unnecessary?"
├── Continuous improvement
└── Living document

ADDING ITEMS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Add when:
├── Quality issues repeat
├── Same problem multiple times
├── Team capacity increases
├── New requirements emerge
├── Gradual improvement
└── Don't overload initially

REMOVING ITEMS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Remove when:
├── Automated elsewhere
├── No longer relevant
├── Causing unnecessary delay
├── Team has internalized it
├── Keep lean
└── Value-focused

MATURITY PROGRESSION:
─────────────────────────────────────
New team:
├── Basic DoD
├── Code works and tested
├── Reviewed and merged
└── Simple start

Mature team:
├── Comprehensive DoD
├── Automated checks
├── High quality standards
├── Security included
├── Performance verified
└── Built over time

Enforcement

Making It Stick

ENFORCING DOD
═════════════

AUTOMATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
Automate where possible:
├── CI checks tests pass
├── Linter checks code style
├── Coverage threshold
├── Security scans
├── PR template with checklist
└── Automated enforcement

PR TEMPLATE:
─────────────────────────────────────
## Definition of Done Checklist

- [ ] Code follows team standards
- [ ] Unit tests written and passing
- [ ] Code reviewed by 2 developers
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] No known bugs
- [ ] Acceptance criteria verified

CULTURE:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Team holds each other accountable
├── Review DoD in sprint review
├── Celebrate quality
├── Don't accept "almost done"
├── Done means DONE
└── Team agreement

TRANSPARENCY:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── DoD visible to all
├── Posted in team space
├── Referenced in meetings
├── Known by everyone
└── Shared understanding

GitScrum Integration

DoD in GitScrum

GITSCRUM FOR DOD
════════════════

TASK CHECKLIST:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── DoD items as checklist
├── Check off as completed
├── Visual progress
├── Nothing forgotten
└── Consistent verification

TASK TEMPLATES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Create task type with DoD built in
├── Automatic checklist
├── Every task has DoD
└── Enforced by structure

DOCUMENTATION:
─────────────────────────────────────
NoteVault:
├── Team DoD documented
├── Version history
├── Easily referenced
├── Central location
└── Living document

WORKFLOW:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Can't move to Done without checklist
├── Workflow enforcement
├── Quality gate
└── Automated compliance

Best Practices

For Definition of Done

Anti-Patterns

DOD MISTAKES:
✗ No DoD at all
✗ Imposed by management
✗ Too long/complex
✗ Never updated
✗ Ignored in practice
✗ Different per person
✗ Not visible
✗ No enforcement

Related Solutions

• Quality assurance best practices
• Code review workflow optimization
• Sprint review best practices