Crafting our Definition of Done: A step-by-step process

1. Researching DoDs

Even before we met as a team, I researched some sample DoDs and took down notes on what we could incorporate, and what was useful. This helped me craft the right questions that I could ask my scrum team.

2. Facilitating a discussion

The next step was getting my scrum team together and facilitating a discussion on what they thought we would want to include in the DoD.

We addressed this in two parts:

a) What does our current process look like?

b) What processes would we want to simplify, enhance and eliminate?

For this, we identified the following key components and delved into specific questions for each to guide our discussion. For example:

• Code Quality: What coding standards should we follow? How do we ensure thorough code reviews?
• Testing: What types of tests are necessary? How do we ensure adequate test coverage?
• Documentation: What documentation is required for each user story? How detailed should code comments be?
• Deployment: What's our deployment strategy? How do we ensure smooth integration and system stability?

3. Compiling Responses and Dependencies

After gathering all inputs, I compiled the responses. Initially, this resulted in a lengthy list of bullet points. To improve clarity, I divided the DoD into distinct sections and included a separate section for dependencies.

We also realized that many items in our DoD had dependencies on different team members. To clarify responsibilities, I created a separate section for dependencies.

4. Creating a User-Friendly Format

To make our DoD easy to reference, I formatted it into a table with two main columns: "DoD" and "Dependencies/Documentation". This visual representation made it clear what needed to be done and who was responsible for each item.

6. Finalizing the DoD

The last part was presenting it to all the team members and getting their final inputs!

The final DoD covered five key areas:

• Development
• Code Review
• UAT Testing
• PROD
• Post-Production Deployment

Each section included specific criteria and associated dependencies or documentation requirements.

By following this process, we created a comprehensive, clear, and actionable Definition of Done that aligns with our team's specific needs and processes.

I encourage all scrum teams to invest time in developing their own DoD - the benefits are well worth the effort!