Definition of Done vs Definition of Ready — Know the Difference

Two of the most misunderstood concepts in Scrum. Often confused, sometimes skipped, always important.

Here's what they are, how they differ, and why getting both right makes your team dramatically more effective.

📌 Definition of Done (DoD)

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state a Product Backlog Item must reach to be considered complete. It creates transparency and shared understanding of what "done" actually means across the Scrum Team.

It's not a checklist of tasks. It's a quality commitment — a guarantee to stakeholders that every increment meeting the DoD is truly releasable.

Examples of DoD criteria

• Code written and peer-reviewed
• Unit and integration tests passing
• Accepted by the Product Owner
• Documentation updated
• No known critical bugs
• Deployed to staging environment

If it doesn't meet the DoD, it isn't done. It goes back — not into the next sprint as a new item, not "almost done". Back.

📌 Definition of Ready (DoR)

The Definition of Ready describes the conditions a Product Backlog Item must meet before the team can pull it into a Sprint. It's a shared agreement on what "ready to work on" looks like.

Think of it as the entry gate for sprint planning — ensuring items are well-understood, sized, and actionable before the team commits to them.

Examples of DoR criteria

• User story clearly written with acceptance criteria
• Dependencies identified and resolved
• Sized by the team
• Mockups or designs attached if needed
• Business value understood

If it isn't ready, it doesn't enter the sprint. Pulling in unclear work mid-sprint is one of the fastest ways to derail a team.

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