Business analysis glossary
Definition of Done
What it is
The definition of done is a shared checklist that every piece of work must satisfy before it counts as complete. It usually covers coding standards, testing, documentation, review and readiness to release. It is agreed by the whole team and applies to every item, in contrast to acceptance criteria, which are specific to one story.
Why it matters
It stops hidden unfinished work. When "done" means the same thing to everyone, a team can trust its progress and releases are less risky. Analysts use it to check that documentation and acceptance checks are not skipped under time pressure, since both are on the list.
Example
At Pinecrest Software, a story is done only when the code is reviewed, automated tests pass, acceptance criteria are checked by the analyst, user help text is updated and the feature works in the test environment. Without the list, one developer might call a story done when the code runs, while another waits until tests and documentation are finished.