Build a shared Definition of Done that teams can check

A feature can look complete in a demonstration while its error handling, support instructions, or integration checks remain unfinished. Customers then discover that different teams use different meanings of done. A shared Definition of Done should make that disagreement visible before a delivery commitment. Start with the evidence needed to trust a usable product increment, not a list of desirable activities.

Separate the feature promise from the quality floor

The Scrum Guide defines the Definition of Done as the formal state of an Increment that meets required product quality measures.[1] In plain terms, it is the common quality floor. Feature acceptance criteria describe the particular behavior requested, such as whether an approver can reject an expense with a reason.

Keep both records. A feature may satisfy its business rules but still lack a required integration test. Conversely, a thoroughly tested implementation may solve the wrong problem. Ask the team to show business acceptance and shared completion evidence separately, with links to the same delivery item.

Replace adjectives with inspectable results

A rule such as “properly tested” leaves too much room for interpretation. Prefer “the agreed regression checks pass on the identified build, and results are attached.” Specify who runs each check, where evidence lives, and what makes the result fail. Avoid demanding screenshots for checks that already produce reliable automated records.

Use this starter checklist, then adapt it to the product rather than copying it unchanged.

• Identify the build and environment covered by the evidence.
• Confirm business acceptance and required failure paths separately.
• Attach required security, accessibility, and integration check results.
• Update support instructions when user behavior or recovery steps change.

Hypothetical example: one approval, two teams

In a hypothetical expense tool, one team builds approval screens while another changes the notification service. The screen team marks the feature done after a local test. The shared rule also requires an integrated rejection notice and a recoverable failed delivery. Those checks expose missing work before the demonstration becomes a completion claim.

For multiple Scrum Teams on one product, the guide requires a mutually defined and shared Definition of Done.[1] Our recommendation is to keep one minimum record, with extra checks for riskier changes. Extra checks should strengthen the minimum, not replace it.

Improve the rule without hiding unfinished work

A longer checklist is not automatically a better standard. Excessive manual evidence can consume time without exposing meaningful risk. Review ambiguous rules after real failures and remove redundant checks only after the team understands the lost protection.

If a required check fails, record the remaining work and revise the forecast. Do not change the meaning of done merely to preserve a favorable report. Take one upcoming item through the proposed standard with both teams. Use disagreements to clarify the checks before applying them across the backlog.