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Definition of Done for many Scrum teams

Last post 07:03 pm October 29, 2018 by Pat Higgins
7 replies
11:11 am June 15, 2016

Hi,

We've recently started to use the Scrum framework and we gradually went from 1 team to 5. I am doing the Scrum Master role. In the last months, each Development Teams worked on their Definition of Done (DoD) with the Product Owner. Each Teams have negociated their own DoD. There are some differences between each DoDs.


Today, there is 1 Product Owner and 5 Scrum Masters and we want to use a unique DoD for all the Teams. What do you propose we should do to harmonize the DoDs?


Proposals that came out of our discussions:

- Each Scrum Masters work with the Product Owner to build a new DoD that they'll present to their Team.

- Each Team elect a representative (Developer) that work with the Product Owner to build a new DoD that they'll present to their Team.
In both cases, this would be an iterative process so that each Team could provide feedback and adjust.

Thanks in advance!


05:21 pm June 15, 2016

> What do you propose we should do to harmonize the DoDs?

A Definition of Done properly applies to the increment. Are the teams collaborating to jointly provide a fully integrated, tested, and usable increment to the Product Owner each and every Sprint?


08:11 pm June 15, 2016

All the Teams Product Increments at the end of each of their Sprints go in the same code base for one product release. There is often some collaboration required between the Teams to achieve this. Until now, each Team has its own DoD. The question is: who works with the Product Owner to create a unified DoD? Some of the Team members (Developers) or the Scrum Masters?


02:11 am June 16, 2016

The Nexus Guide says:

"The Nexus Integration Team is responsible for a definition of “Done” that can be applied to the Integrated Increment developed each Sprint."

What does the Nexus Guide say about how a Nexus Integration Team is formed?


03:16 pm June 16, 2016

That is a great tip to check up the Nexus guide. It's possibly what we need: a Nexus Integration Team. Other than a PO and a SM, the Team members are skilled individuals that can coach and guide the other Scrum Teams to properly integrate all the work to a Definition of Done.

Once the Nexus Team DoD is defined, other Scrum Team "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."

I'll share that with my colleagues. The challenge is that basic Scrum is not yet fully in place, so we need to achieve a solid base before we move to a Nexus...

Thanks!


12:07 pm June 17, 2016

I like the second and then each team can add but not subtract from the overall product DoD. I also like the idea if possible to get all the teams together in space if possible to review the DoD and review/make any tweaks so everyone can hear the discussion and feel ownership in the product DoD. May have to be creative in facilitation so the discussion is focused.


05:30 pm June 26, 2016

While it is logical for each scrum team to have their own DoD which is in conformance to the type/nature of work being done by the team and forecast of PBI.

Multiple scrum teams working on the same product/project and using product backlog - DoD across all teams must be aligned to ensure that final outcome/deliverable is a working increment and potentially ship-able.


07:03 pm October 29, 2018

In Nexus the DOD is or can be, reviewed ( SCRUM style ), along with other improvement opportunities, in the individual SCRUM teams' Sprint Retrospectives.

The Nexus Integration Team's Sprint Retrospective is almost mandated to ask some specific questions, addressing Technical Debt, work un-finished, integration, and frequent deployments to minimise dependencies. "Work left undone" would be a good forum to review the DOD perhaps.

So there are two "layers" in Nexus Sprint Retrospective, where the DOD can be harmonized/aligned.

Pat

 

 


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