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How to Create Definition of Done for Development Teams?
How to create Definition of Done for development teams?
Create Definition of Done (DoD) by defining criteria that every task must meet before moving to Done: code reviewed, tests passing, documentation updated, deployed to staging. Document in GitScrum NoteVault for team reference. Teams with clear DoD have 40% fewer defects and more predictable delivery [Source: Quality Engineering Research 2024].
Creating DoD steps:
- Gather team - Collaborative definition
- List criteria - What means "done"?
- Prioritize - Essential vs nice-to-have
- Document - NoteVault record
- Communicate - Team alignment
- Enforce - Workflow integration
- Review - Regular updates
Essential DoD elements
| Category | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Code | Reviewed and approved |
| Tests | All passing |
| Quality | No critical bugs |
| Docs | Updated as needed |
| Deploy | To specified environment |
| Accept | Meets acceptance criteria |
DoD by task type
| Type | Additional Criteria |
|---|---|
| Feature | Demo-ready, stakeholder approved |
| Bug fix | Root cause documented |
| Refactor | No behavior change |
| Tech debt | Documented improvement |
| Hotfix | Rollback plan ready |
Sample DoD checklist
## Definition of Done
- [ ] Code reviewed and approved
- [ ] All tests passing (unit, integration)
- [ ] No new linter warnings
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Acceptance criteria verified
- [ ] Deployed to staging
- [ ] No known bugs
- [ ] Stakeholder approved (if applicable)
NoteVault DoD template
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Why this DoD exists |
| Criteria | Checklist items |
| Exceptions | When to deviate |
| Owner | Who maintains |
| Last updated | Date |
Enforcing DoD
| Mechanism | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Checklist | Task description template |
| Column policy | Gate for Done column |
| PR template | DoD checklist |
| CI/CD | Automated checks |
| Code review | Reviewer validates |
| Retrospective | Compliance review |
DoD anti-patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Better Approach |
|---|---|
| Too long | Focus on essential |
| Ignored | Enforce via workflow |
| Never updated | Review quarterly |
| Different per person | Team-agreed standard |
| Only code quality | Include user value |
DoD evolution
| Stage | Focus |
|---|---|
| New team | Basic (tests, review) |
| Maturing | Add deployment, docs |
| Advanced | Include metrics, accessibility |
| Optimized | Continuous refinement |
Benefits of clear DoD
| Benefit | Impact |
|---|---|
| Fewer defects | Consistent quality |
| Predictability | Know when truly done |
| Less rework | Catch early |
| Team alignment | Shared understanding |
| Stakeholder trust | Reliable delivery |
DoD vs Acceptance Criteria
| DoD | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|---|
| Team-level standard | Task-specific |
| Universal for all tasks | Unique per user story |
| Quality focused | Functionality focused |
| Process criteria | Feature criteria |
Reviewing DoD effectiveness
| Metric | Indicates |
|---|---|
| Defect escape rate | DoD catching issues? |
| Rework percentage | Done really done? |
| Team satisfaction | DoD realistic? |
| Cycle time | DoD slowing flow? |