MENTAL MODEL · M9026

Definition of Done

BusinessHigh supportManagement

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A team's consistent standard for what constitutes a 'task complete' (e.g., code written + tests passed + documentation updated). It prevents each person from having a different understanding of what 'done' means.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Delivery defense line. When handing off work, don't just ask 'Are you done?' but check the DoD. Prevent half-finished products that 'I thought I was done, but it still runs'.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The Definition of Done (DoD) transforms vague 'done' into an explicit checklist that can be ticked off, eliminating misunderstandings among team members. Its mechanism is to replace individual subjective judgment with a shared contract, making 'done' a verifiable, handoff-ready objective state, reducing the flow of incomplete work downstream.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/2

Practice this model in one real situation:

The team collaboratively defines a DoD checklist (e.g., coding, self-testing, review, documentation, deployment). At the end of each task, check off each item
only when all are satisfied is it considered done. As maturity increases, gradually tighten the standards (e.g., add performance and monitoring requirements).

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_%28project_management%29ZH · Explicit
verified

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