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As my Definition of Done is constantly evolving - Will my Product ever be done ?

Last post 03:56 pm December 13, 2018 by TILAK NAYAK
2 replies
06:05 am December 13, 2018

Hi All,

Greetings!

 

One of the key aspects of SCRUM is continuous improvement. Each and every Scrum event presents us with a formal opportunity to Inspect existing practices and then adapt according to the changing environment and business need! Paraphrasing Ken - " harness change to gain the competitive advantage". Sprint Retrospective is a great opportunity to introspect and then modify my definition of done. 

This is a constant process and is recurring throughout my Sprint iterations for building my product. Now each of my Sprint have produced a Potentially Releasable Product Increment (compliant with the 'Definition of Done' then) and the summation of all such increments = Product.

Now in my later Sprints if my 'Definition of Done' evolves and renders my previously released Increment 'Not Done' i am required to add the additional work into the Product Backlog and prioritize. 

Since my DoD will keep evolving how do i ascertain when a Product is completely Done ? 

 

I couldn't find a definite answer in any discussion threads, hoping to gather some valuable insights on this.

 

Thanks in advance.

 


09:48 am December 13, 2018

Now in my later Sprints if my 'Definition of Done' evolves and renders my previously released Increment 'Not Done' i am required to add the additional work into the Product Backlog and prioritize. 

Since my DoD will keep evolving how do i ascertain when a Product is completely Done ? 

There is a distinction between an increment being Done and the product being complete.

By the end of any given Sprint a product increment will be either Done or not Done, as per the current Definition of Done. Each Sprint, team members should be able to commit to a Sprint Goal which yields a Done increment of release quality.

Product burn-downs, burn- ups, and similar projective practices can be used to ascertain when the work currently in the Product Backlog will be complete. However, this would not represent a commitment but rather a forecast.

Since work may be added to the Product Backlog at any time, including by inspecting an evolving Definition of Done for new requirements, any related projections are indeed forecasts. In Scrum, there’s no reason to suppose that a product will ever be complete. It is generally more useful to forecast when increments of functionality will be released to stakeholders given the latest information available. This information includes the Product Backlog, the current Definition of Done, and any metrics and trends.


03:56 pm December 13, 2018

That is spot on Ian. Thanks.

 

Much appreciated :)


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