"Definition of Ready" and "Definition of Done" in Agile software development




Defining clear "Definition of Ready" and "Definition of Done" criteria is crucial for effective Agile development. 

These criteria help ensure that user stories are well-prepared before they enter development (Definition of Ready) and that they are considered complete and meet the necessary quality standards after development (Definition of Done). 

Here's a general outline of what these criteria might include:

Definition of Ready (DoR):

The Definition of Ready outlines the criteria a user story must meet before it can be considered ready for development. This helps avoid ambiguities and ensures that the team has all the necessary information to work on the story.

User Story Format: Ensure that the user story follows the standard format, including a clear user role, action, and benefit (e.g., "As a [user role], I want to [action] so that [benefit]").

Acceptance Criteria: User stories should have well-defined acceptance criteria that outline the specific conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete.

Dependencies: Identify and document any dependencies that the user story may have on other tasks, features, or external components.

Estimation: The story should be estimated by the team using an agreed-upon method (e.g., story points).

Priority: The priority of the user story should be clear to ensure the team works on the most important tasks first.

Clear Scope: The user story should have a well-defined scope and not be too vague or overly complex.

Testability: Ensure that the user story is testable, and the necessary testing data or environments are available.

User Story Refinement: The user story should have gone through the refinement process and discussed with the team.

Definition of Done (DoD):

The Definition of Done defines the criteria that must be met for a user story to be considered complete and ready for release. This ensures that the team maintains consistent quality and avoids misunderstandings about when a feature is considered "done."

Code Complete: The development work for the user story is finished, and the code has been reviewed.

Unit Tests: The necessary unit tests have been written and are passing.

Integration Tests: Integration tests have been performed, and the story passes all relevant tests.

Documentation: Any required documentation, such as code comments or user guides, has been created or updated.

Code Review: The code has been reviewed, and any required changes have been addressed.

Acceptance Criteria Met: The user story meets all the acceptance criteria defined for it.

Demo-Ready: The user story is ready to be demonstrated to stakeholders if needed.

No Critical Defects: The user story has no critical defects or bugs.

Product Owner Approval: The Product Owner has reviewed and accepted the user story as meeting the expected requirements.

Ready for Deployment: The user story is ready for deployment to the target environment.


Please note that these criteria may vary depending on the specific context of the project and the team's preferences. 

It's essential for the development team and stakeholders to collaborate and agree on the Definition of Ready and Definition of Done to ensure a smooth and effective development process.

 Additionally, these criteria should be continuously reviewed and updated as needed to improve the team's efficiency and product quality.


The Definition of Done (DoD) for Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) is a set of criteria or conditions that must be met for a particular piece of work or task to be considered complete. The DoD helps to ensure that the work has been thoroughly completed and meets the required quality standards. It is a crucial concept in Agile and Scrum methodologies to maintain transparency and accountability within a development team.


The specifics of the DoD for SDETs can vary depending on the organization, project, and the nature of the software being developed, but here are some common elements that are often included:


Code Implementation: The SDET has written code for automated tests, scripts, or test frameworks to verify the functionality of the software.


Test Coverage: The SDET has ensured that the automated tests cover a defined percentage of the application's codebase and functionality.


Passing Tests: All automated tests have been executed, and they pass successfully, indicating that the software meets the specified requirements.


Documentation: The SDET has documented the test cases, test scenarios, and any other relevant information for future reference and team collaboration.


Code Reviews: The SDET's code has been reviewed by peers or team members to ensure its quality and adherence to coding standards.


Integration: The automated tests have been integrated into the continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) pipeline to run automatically on each code change.


Defect Reporting: Any defects found during the testing process have been documented, and the development team has been notified for resolution.


Performance and Load Testing: If applicable, performance and load tests have been conducted, and any performance issues have been addressed.


Environment Setup: The necessary testing environments have been set up properly to run the automated tests.


Regression Testing: The SDET has verified that the new code changes have not caused any existing functionality to break (regression testing).


Non-Functional Testing: If required, non-functional testing aspects such as security, usability, and accessibility have been addressed.


Test Data Management: The SDET has managed the test data effectively, ensuring test repeatability and isolation.


It is important to note that the Definition of Done should be agreed upon and understood by the entire development team, including developers, testers, and product owners, to maintain a shared understanding of what constitutes a complete and acceptable piece of work. Additionally, the DoD is not fixed and may evolve over time based on the team's learning and improvement process.



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