The Definition of Done serves the following three purposes:
A. Create a shared understanding of when work is complete.
The Definition of Done is a commitment to the quality of the product increment that is part of Scrum. It is a formal description of the state of the product backlog item or the increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Scrum team must have a shared understanding of what ‘done’ means and use it to assess when work is complete and transparent 1 .
C. Increase transparency.
The Definition of Done increases transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed and what standards were met as part of the increment. This ensures that the product increment is potentially releasable and that the stakeholders can inspect and provide feedback on it 2 .
D. Describe the work that must be mostly done before the Sprint is allowed to end.
The Definition of Done describes the work that must be done before the Sprint is allowed to end. Work cannot be considered part of an increment unless it meets the Definition of Done. The Definition of Done is used to guide the Developers in creating a " Done " , usable, and potentially releasable product increment every Sprint 3 .
B and E are not purposes of the Definition of Done.
B. Guide the Developers on how many Product Backlog items to select for the Sprint.
The Definition of Done does not guide the Developers on how many Product Backlog items to select for the Sprint. The Developers select how many Product Backlog items they can complete within a Sprint based on their capacity, skills, and experience. The Definition of Done helps them ensure that the selected items are completed to a high standard of quality 4 .
E. Describe the purpose, Objective, and timebox Of each Scrum event.
The Definition of Done does not describe the purpose, objective, and timebox of each Scrum event. The Scrum Guide describes these aspects for each Scrum event, such as Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective 5 . The Definition of Done is related to the product increment, not to the Scrum events.
