Why the Definition of Done Matters in Agile
In Agile software development, “done” means the work is complete, of high quality, and meets the agreed-upon standards across the team. The Definition of Done (DoD) is a shared understanding of what it takes for a product backlog item to be considered complete in the context of the scrum framework.
A clear DoD helps Agile teams avoid one of the most common pitfalls in product development: thinking something is done when it’s not ready for release. You might have a feature that’s coded, but if it hasn’t been tested, documented, or reviewed, it’s not ready for release.
Without a solid Definition of Done:
- Teams may release features that don’t meet quality standards
- Stakeholders might get incomplete or buggy deliverables
- Time gets wasted on rework due to unclear expectations
The DoD aligns everyone within the team, including developers, product owners, and stakeholders, around what “done” actually means in the context of your project and software development lifecycle. It ensures that every increment delivered is not just functionally correct but also production-ready.
The Definition of Done vs Acceptance Criteria vs Definition of Ready
Agile teams often confuse three related but distinct concepts: Definition of Done, Acceptance Criteria, and Definition of Ready. Understanding how they work together helps ensure a smoother iteration and a more predictable sprint backlog.
- Definition of Done (DoD): This is a set of shared quality standards that apply to every Product Backlog Item (PBI). It defines what “complete” means across the board, not just for one user story, but for all work items. The role of DoD is to ensure that each deliverable meets expectations for quality, security, performance, and usability before it’s considered “done.”
- Acceptance Criteria: These are specific conditions applied to a single user story or task. They describe the expected behavior from the end-user’s perspective and help confirm that the functionality aligns with business needs. While the DoD governs overall quality, acceptance criteria clarify when an individual item is functionally correct.
- Definition of Ready: This outlines what a task must have before entering a sprint. For example, a clear description, known dependencies, and a well-defined estimate. It helps build a shared understanding across the development team, enabling them to confidently commit to the work.
Ownership of the DoD is a scrum team responsibility:
- The Scrum Master helps the team define, refine, and revisit the DoD on a regular basis.
- The Product Owner ensures it reflects business and stakeholder expectations and aligns with overall product management goals.
- The team members (developers) use the DoD to guide their daily work, continuously improving it as the team matures.
When these definitions are clear and consistently used, your project management process becomes more reliable and transparent, and you avoid unnecessary confusion or rework during a sprint.
Key Components of a Strong Definition of Done
A clear and consistently applied Definition of Done (DoD) helps Agile teams avoid rework, reduce ambiguity, and release high-quality work. But in complex workflows, “done” doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
Common components of a strong DoD include:
- Code review and merge completed — Work is peer-reviewed and merged into the main branch
- Unit tests and integration tests passed — Automated tests confirm functionality and catch regressions
- Feature tested in staging environment — Changes are validated in a production-like test environment
- Documentation updated — User-facing and internal documentation is current
- Design and UX validation complete — User experience aligns with defined patterns and expectations
- No critical bugs open — All blockers are resolved or deferred with sign-off
- Releasable state — The item could be shipped if needed
How to implement and use the Definition of Done in Jira?
Since the Definition of Done typically takes the form of a checklist, many agile teams opt to manage it with a dedicated checklist tool within Jira. Several apps are available on the Atlassian Marketplace to support this need.
One such solution is Smart Checklist for Jira by TitanApps. It allows you to build flexible checklists with useful features, including custom statuses, headers, mentions, deadlines, collapsible details, and required items.
What makes Smart Checklist especially helpful is that it’s built for agile teams working in Jira. You can link templates to issue types, automate checklist addition, and manage access for different roles. And because it runs on Atlassian’s Forge platform, all your data stays within Atlassian Cloud, which is essential for teams working in regulated industries or aiming for audit-ready processes.
Check out more details on how to implement and use the Definition of Done in Jira with Smart Checklist.
How to structure your Definition of Done in Jira?
For teams using Smart Checklist, it’s easy to structure DoD steps into reusable templates and assign them by issue type or team. You can also save checklists as templates, making it easy to reuse your Definition of Done across tasks and projects. This keeps the DoD practical and visible across workflows during the development phase and for any team contributing to the product increment.
Different roles, such as developers, designers, QA, and other stakeholders, work with the same Jira ticket but often have their own checklists. This is where multiple checklist tabs in Smart Checklist come into play.
It allows teams to break down a single checklist into separate, structured tabs, each focused on a different aspect of the work. For example, you can separate development checks from design or documentation tasks, making it easier to track progress and enforce completion across disciplines. Each tab can be managed independently, yet still contributes to a shared understanding of what “done” means.
How multiple checklist tabs support your DoD in Jira:
- Split DoD by team or process: Assign each team (e.g., Dev, QA, Design) a separate checklist tab. Each tab tracks progress independently, so nothing is missed and responsibility is clear.
- Automate DoD visibility: Automatically add tabs, such as Definition of Ready or Definition of Done, to specific issue types (e.g., Stories or Bugs) using workflow triggers or templates.
- Enforce DoD completion: Block issue transitions unless all relevant checklist tabs are marked complete. This prevents critical steps from being skipped.
- Cross-functional alignment: Teams can work in parallel within the same Jira issue while maintaining their own completion criteria, aligned under a shared Definition of Done.
This approach guarantees that every user story, task, or deliverable meets high-quality standards across disciplines. Using multiple checklists is especially helpful for Agile teams operating in scaled or cross-functional environments.
How to Make Your DoD Effective?
Even the best teams can struggle to make their Definition of Done effective.
A good Definition of Done isn’t static; as your product evolves and your agile team matures, your DoD should grow with it.
- Review it regularly during retrospectives and sprint reviews. This helps uncover blockers, validate whether the DoD is realistic, and adapt it to real-world delivery challenges.
- Adjust the DoD when processes or priorities shift. If you’ve introduced new quality standards, tools, or roles, ensure those changes are reflected in the DoD.
- Use production and QA data to spot recurring defects, missed steps, or incomplete deliverables. These insights help refine your checklist and reduce future rework.
- Watch for hidden impediments. If developers frequently skip DoD steps due to unclear ownership or lack of time, that’s a signal to simplify or clarify the process.
An up-to-date Definition of Done helps maintain high-quality output without slowing the team down. It also strengthens team accountability and supports smoother iteration over time.
However, even with regular reviews and updates, teams can still encounter issues when applying the Definition of Done in real-world workflows. From misalignment to neglect, there are a few common pitfalls that can undermine its value, especially if the DoD isn’t clearly defined or consistently followed.
Let’s look at the most frequent challenges and how agile teams can address them:
- The DoD is too vague or too broad.
When the checklist lacks clear criteria, team members interpret “done” differently. To fix this, align on specific quality standards during sprint planning or retrospectives. Establish a shared understanding of what “done” means for every product backlog item. - The checklist is ignored or outdated.
A DoD that isn’t part of the day-to-day workflow won’t stick. Keep it visible in Jira (via issue description or checklist app) and review it regularly. Utilize templates to prevent rework and ensure consistency across iterations. - It gets confused with acceptance criteria.
Teams sometimes treat acceptance criteria and DoD as interchangeable. Remember: acceptance criteria are specific to a single user story, while the DoD applies to all work items and enforces team-wide quality. - No buy-in from stakeholders.
If product owners, developers, and other stakeholders don’t align on the DoD, it quickly loses relevance. Ensure that everyone involved in the sprint, especially the Scrum Master and Product Owner, agrees on what is required for a deliverable to be considered shippable.
Addressing these impediments early helps you apply agile methodologies more effectively and enables your team to ship high-quality work with confidence.
Done Means Done
The Definition of Done is a commitment to quality, clarity, and shared understanding. When used well, it becomes a safeguard that helps Agile teams ship confidently and consistently.
It aligns everyone from the Product Owner to developers and stakeholders around what a completed product increment really means. According to the Scrum Guide, “done” should reflect a state that is potentially releasable. That’s only possible when team members apply the same standards to every piece of work.
In practice, the most effective way to achieve this is through structured Jira checklists, reusable templates, and smart automations. These tools turn the Definition of Done from a written statement into something visible and actionable in your daily software development workflow.
FAQ: The Definition of Done in Jira and Agile
What’s the difference between the Definition of Done and acceptance criteria?
The Definition of Done (DoD) is a shared understanding among the Scrum team regarding the quality standards that every Product Backlog Item (PBI) must meet to be considered complete. Acceptance criteria, on the other hand, are specific conditions tied to a single user story or task that validate whether it meets business needs. Think of DoD as your global checklist, and acceptance criteria as story-specific validation steps.
Where should I store the Definition of Done in Jira?
You can add the DoD to the issue description, as a checklist, or attach it as part of a Smart Checklist template. For consistency, many teams use global or project-level templates that are automatically added to all work items (issues) of a specific type.
Can I enforce the DoD in Jira workflows?
Yes. Use workflow validators to prevent a ticket from transitioning unless the DoD is met — for example, all checklist items marked as done, or code reviews and unit tests completed. This is especially helpful in software development teams aiming for releasable increments and reduced rework.
What happens when the Definition of Done isn’t met during a sprint?
According to the Scrum Guide, an item that doesn’t meet the DoD is not considered shippable or part of the product increment. It remains in the Product Backlog and can be re-estimated and re-planned in future sprint planning sessions.
How does the DoD apply to Kanban?
In Kanban, where work flows continuously rather than in timeboxed iterations, the DoD still defines quality standards. It ensures that deliverables meet expectations before moving to “Done” in the workflow, promoting transparency, workflow efficiency, and stakeholder trust.
Is the Definition of Done required for every Product Backlog Item?
Yes. In Scrum, the Definition of Done applies to every PBI to ensure consistent quality across features, bug fixes, and tasks. This helps the development team maintain high-quality outputs and a stable product increment at the end of each sprint.
How often should we update our Definition of Done?
Review the DoD during retrospectives or when the product or team changes. For example, adding new quality standards, test environments, or compliance checks. Use real data from sprint reviews, QA, and support to identify areas for improvement.
What’s the role of the Product Owner in the DoD?
The Product Owner ensures that the DoD aligns with stakeholder expectations and product goals. While the team defines and maintains the DoD, the PO plays a key role in confirming that completed items meet both functional and quality needs.
Can we have different DoDs for different teams or issue types?
Yes. You can use different DoD checklists based on issue type, project, or team using tools like Smart Checklist for Jira. For example, you might apply one DoD to new product features and another to technical tasks or dependencies.
How does DoD help prevent rework?
A clear and enforced DoD catches missing pieces early, such as a lack of documentation, untested code, or incomplete acceptance tests, before a task is marked as “done.” This reduces rework and increases confidence during project management and delivery.
What are some real-world Definition of Done examples?
Examples include:
- Code reviewed and merged
- Unit tests passed
- UX and design approved
- Documentation added
- No impediments or blockers
- Feature demo-ready for stakeholders
These vary by team but should always be measurable and enforceable within your scrum framework or Agile process.
