How do you incorporate feedback and learning into your definition of done?

1 Why feedback and learning matter for DoD

Feedback and learning are the key ingredients for continuous improvement and innovation in product development. They help you validate your assumptions, measure your outcomes, and identify opportunities for enhancement. Without feedback and learning, your DoD might become outdated, irrelevant, or misaligned with your product vision and goals. Therefore, you need to seek and use feedback and learning from various sources, such as users, customers, peers, managers, and data, to refine your DoD and ensure that it reflects the current and desired state of your product.

2 How to collect feedback and learning for DoD

Depending on the nature and scope of your product, the stage of your development cycle, and the availability and accessibility of your sources, there are many ways to collect feedback and learning for your DoD. User testing and interviews are direct and qualitative methods to get insights from end-users. Surveys and feedback forms are indirect and quantitative ways to get feedback from customers. Peer reviews and retrospectives are collaborative and constructive ways to get feedback from team members. Lastly, analytics and metrics are objective and data-driven ways to get feedback from product performance, usage, and impact. This can help you track and evaluate your progress, results, and outcomes.

4 How to update DoD based on feedback and learning

After analyzing feedback and learning, you need to update your DoD and communicate the changes to your team and stakeholders. This involves comparing and contrasting your current DoD with your feedback and learning to identify gaps, discrepancies, or opportunities for improvement. You should modify, add, or remove criteria, standards, or expectations that define your DoD, making sure they are clear, specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. Document and share your updated DoD in a visible and accessible place, such as a wiki, a dashboard, or a project management tool, and notify your team and stakeholders about the changes. Explain the rationale and benefits of the changes, and solicit feedback and input from them to ensure alignment and buy-in. Apply and test your updated DoD in your product development process, and check whether it meets your feedback and learning objectives, and whether it improves your product quality and value. Monitor and measure the impact and outcomes of your updated DoD, and collect feedback and learning for further refinement.