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AI Impacts On Your Definition of Done

February 9, 2026

The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment.

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DoD Evolution

 

If AI changes how you build, your Definition of Done should represent it.

 

When you want to create a robust Definition of Done, you should think of 6 main categories of expectations:

1- Process expectations

2- Technical expectations

3- Delivery expectations

4- Industry standards & expectations

5- Organization expectations

6- Non-Functional Requirements

 

Imagine this is a Definition of Done for a double-sided learning platform named MetaLearn that connects trainers with learners.

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Classic DoD

 

Now, imagine that your team started using AI to build the product. What type of AI-specific expectations do you need to consider?! 

 

Let me give you some examples:

  • The PBI doesn’t generate biased responses
  • The PBI responses follow fairness
  • Human-in-the-Loop (HITL): Human review is available if a user requests
  • The connections with AI-specific APIs are encrypted
  • The PBI conforms to the “EU AI Act” regulation
  • The outputs of the PBI are explainable and transparent
  • The PBI doesn’t generate toxic responses
  • The user data, as the prompt, is stored securely

 

So, the elevated DoD will be something like this:
 

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DoD 2

 

This shows a new generation of the Definition of Done impacted by AI that will become a normal expectation very soon.



So, the new generation of DoD will include 6+1 categories of expectations:

1- Process expectations

2- Technical expectations

3- Delivery expectations

4- Industry standards & expectations

5- Organization expectations

6- Non-Functional Requirements

+

7- AI Impact Expectations
 

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If you are a Product Owner and want to learn how to effectively leverage AI for the new generation of product management, attend my full Professional Scrum Product Owner  – AI Essentials class. Click here to see the class information.


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