A Development Team has completed their Sprint and produced an Increment. During the Sprint Review, the Product Owner discovers that a critical feature, which was part of the Sprint Goal and expected to be 'Done', is not fully functional and has several known bugs. The Developers argue that 'Done' means all code is written and unit tested, as per their Definition of Done. What is the MOST likely issue with this team's Definition of Done?
- AIt is not being consistently applied by all Developers.
- BIt is not transparent to the Product Owner and stakeholders.
- CIt is too strict, causing the team to miss Sprint Goals.
- DIt is not comprehensive enough to ensure a usable and potentially releasable Increment.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. It is not comprehensive enough to ensure a usable and potentially releasable Increment.
A 'Done' Increment must be usable and potentially releasable. If a critical feature is not fully functional and has known bugs, even if code is written and unit tested, it does not meet the standard of 'usable' or 'potentially releasable'. The Definition of Done needs to be comprehensive enough to ensure this quality standard.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The Developers *are* applying their DoD; the problem is the DoD's inadequacy, not its consistent application.
- B. The Definition of Done *is* known ('all code is written and unit tested'), so transparency isn't the issue; its *content* is.
- C. The issue is not that the DoD is too strict, but that it's too lax or incomplete to ensure actual product quality and usability.
Definition of Done Quality
The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. It creates transparency by providing a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment, ensuring it is usable and potentially releasable.
- Shared understanding of completed work.
- Ensures usable and potentially releasable Increment.
- Must be comprehensive enough for true 'Done-ness'.
Memory trick: Done Means Ready, Not Just Started.