Business
Definition of Done Generator
A Definition of Done generator produces a clear, shared checklist for what "done" really means at the story, sprint, or release level. Pick the level and it returns concrete completion criteria — covering code review, testing, documentation, acceptance, deployability, and sign-off — so a team stops arguing about whether work is finished. Scrum teams, product owners, and engineering leads use it to guarantee consistent quality and prevent half-finished work from being called complete. The criteria differ by level: a story-level checklist covers review, tests, and acceptance; a sprint-level list adds demo and backlog hygiene; a release-level list adds regression, security, and rollback planning. Treat the generated list as a starting point, adapt it to your stack, and agree it as a team.
How to use
- Choose your options above
- Click Generate
- Copy your result
Detailed instructions
- Pick the level — story, sprint, or release.
- Click Generate to produce the checklist.
- Adapt each item to your stack and standards.
- Agree it as a team and apply it to every item.
Use Cases
- •Agreeing what "done" means for the team
- •Setting consistent quality criteria for every story
- •Defining sprint and release completion bars
- •Preventing half-finished work being called complete
- •Onboarding new team members to quality standards
Tips
- →Make the Definition of Done a team agreement.
- →Keep it visible and apply it to every item.
- →Separate story, sprint, and release levels.
- →Revisit and tighten it as the team matures.
FAQ
What is a Definition of Done?
A shared checklist of criteria every backlog item must meet before it counts as complete — things like peer-reviewed, tests passing, documented, and accepted. It makes quality consistent and stops "done" from meaning different things to different people.
How is it different from acceptance criteria?
Acceptance criteria are specific to one story — what that particular feature must do. The Definition of Done is universal and applies to every item — the quality bar any work must clear, such as tests passing and code reviewed. You need both.
Why have different levels — story, sprint, release?
Done means more as scope grows. A story needs review and tests; a sprint also requires a demo and deployable build; a release adds regression testing, docs, a rollback plan, and stakeholder sign-off. Separate levels keep each checklist focused and appropriate to the stage.
Who owns the Definition of Done?
The whole development team owns and agrees it (with the organisation sometimes setting minimums), and it should be revisited and tightened as the team matures. It is a team commitment, not a manager's decree. The generator gives you a strong starting checklist to adapt together.
How do you enforce the Definition of Done?
Make it visible — on the team wiki, sprint board, or a physical wall — and treat any item that does not meet it as unfinished, not done-with-caveats. The team holds each other to it during sprint review: if it does not pass the checklist, it does not count as complete.
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