According to the Scrum Guide, the Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality requirements necessary for the product.
By using the Definition of Done, it is clear (transparent) to everyone what it means to be done. In other words, ready to release the work to end-users.
Example Definition of Done
The DoD depends on the type of work, the team and the nature of the project. Below are some example criteria it may include:
- All written code has been reviewed
- Unit tests and integration tests have passed
- Documentation has been updated
- All security tests have passed
- Functional tests have been conducted and passed
When a Product Backlog item meets the DoD, an Increment is created. An increment is essentially a new version of the product.
The time to adjust the Definition of Done is during the Sprint Retrospective. Adjusting the Definition of Done during the Sprint is not allowed.
Developers are further required to adhere to the DoD. When multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, it is important that everyone follows the same DoD.