Definition of Done Workshop
A collaborative session for a team to define their shared standard for when work is truly complete. A strong Definition of Done (DoD) prevents technical debt, misaligned expectations, and the 'done but not really done' trap. The DoD is a checklist every increment must meet before it can be called done — written by the team, not imposed from above.
How to run it
- 1
Open with the question: 'What does it mean for a piece of work to be truly complete?'
- 2
Brainstorm individually on sticky notes: every condition that must be true for something to be done.
- 3
Cluster and discuss. Categories often include: code, testing, documentation, review, deployment, acceptance criteria.
- 4
Challenge each criterion: is this always required, or only sometimes? Remove things that belong in acceptance criteria (per-story) rather than the DoD (universal).
- 5
Agree on a concise checklist. Each item should be verifiable (yes/no), not vague.
- 6
Post the DoD visibly. Review it in every retrospective and update as the team matures.
- 7
Apply it: at the end of every sprint, check each completed item against the DoD.
Tips
A good DoD makes 'undone work' visible.
If the team is always discovering work after 'done', the DoD is incomplete.
Start strict — it's easier to relax criteria than to tighten them later.
Variations
Run a 'Definition of Ready' workshop too: what must be true before a story can be picked up for development? Stack DoDs at different levels: story, sprint, release.
Where it fits
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