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Definition of Done

Last post 11:57 pm November 25, 2019 by Meghana Marathe
8 replies
01:47 am November 24, 2019

Please confirm on the below point: 1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

2. I know they should have the same product backlog.

3. When they are working on different sprints, is it necessary all sprints should start and finish at the same time?

Please let me know answers to this, your help is greatly appreciated 


09:21 pm November 24, 2019

If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

The Scrum Guide says that if there are multiple Scrum Teams working on the product, "the Development Teams on all the Scrum Teams must mutually define the definition of "Done"." There must be a common, shared Definition of Done that all teams agree to. However, there's nothing that precludes teams from further refining the Definition of Done, where one team may have a more stringent Definition than another team. The important thing is that the baseline, common, shared Definition of Done enables all teams to product an integrated Increment at the end of the Sprint.

When they are working on different sprints, is it necessary all sprints should start and finish at the same time?

It's not necessary - there are ways to align teams working on different Sprint cadences. However, doing so adds overhead and risks around synchronization activities. For multiple teams working on a single product, I'd highly recommend aligning the Sprints across all of the teams. It would let you focus more on optimizing the product and the ways of working of each team rather than synchronizing around events and delivery.


12:22 am November 25, 2019

Thank you Thomas,that helped.


12:47 pm November 25, 2019

1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

...

3. When they are working on different sprints, is it necessary all sprints should start and finish at the same time?

What would the consequences be for the integration of a "Done" product increment?


01:37 pm November 25, 2019

Hi,

 

1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

//every team has different focus. so they can write a different dod but some criterias has to be understand and put in use to create one product. 

3. When they are working on different sprints, is it necessary all sprints should start and finish at the same time?

No you do not have to. Maybe shifting sprint dates can be usefull for solving technical dependencies etc.


02:04 pm November 25, 2019

1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

//every team has different focus. so they can write a different dod but some criterias has to be understand and put in use to create one product. 

If you have multiple teams working on the same product backlog, why would every team have a different focus? Each team may have a slightly different focus because of the backlog items a team works on but all teams should have the same overall focus of reaching the sprint goal and larger product vision. Per the scrum guide like Thomas pointed out earlier, the teams must have a mutually defined DoD. Each team can add additions as is necessary for their specific goals but at the core, there must be a shared Definition of Done.


02:59 pm November 25, 2019

Please confirm on the below point: 1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

Are these teams producing multiple increments which does not need to be integrated at the end ? If no, then what your teams need to do to create a done increment at the end of the Sprint for this same product?


03:37 pm November 25, 2019

1. If there are multiple teams working on a same project, can they have multiple definition of done?

The ideal prerequisite would be that the multiple teams are producing integrated increments at the end of each sprint. If that is the case, as per the Nexus guide (which is designed for such scenario and makes a great sense)

"Individual Scrum Teams may choose to apply a more stringent definition of “Done” within their own teams, but cannot apply less rigorous criteria than agreed for the Increment." 

Does it mean that DoDs can be different? In my opinion, YES, since the Nexus mandates that the dependencies between the teams are eliminated or minimized. In such a scenario, having multiple DoDs can be quite possible. They may differ in details, but the overarching criteria cannot be less rigorous than the commonly agreed criteria for DoD.

If they are not producing integrated increments (which is highly unlikely), will their DoD be the same? 

IMHO, understanding the importance and implications of the word "CRITERIA"  in the statement above would be highly beneficial, in any case, whether the organization is adopting Nexus or not. 

Have you noted the common factors of your DoD? Have the teams inspected which of these factors are mandatory and selected as common criteria?


11:57 pm November 25, 2019

Thanks a lot guys for your help.


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