Does having a definition of ready a good idea?
Faq
1 minute to read
Last Updated: Wed 25 Oct 2023 11:15
Question
Does having a definition of ready a good idea?
Short Answer
No. Having a definition of ready can lead to gating of work for a team.
Long Answer
In the Scrum Guide there is the idea of “ready” that is associated with the Product Backlog.
[!Quote] Product Backlog items that can be Done by the Scrum Team within one Sprint are deemed ready for selection in a Sprint Planning event.
–Scrum Glossary - Scrum.org
This reflects the shared understand that is necessary for a Scrum Team to take on work.
[!Quote] Ready: a shared understanding by the Product Owner and the Developers regarding the preferred level of description of Product Backlog items introduced at Sprint Planning.
–Scrum Guide
While the intent behind a definition of ready is laudable the outcome is mostly an “us vs them” attitude between the Developers and the Stakeholders, or worse the Product Owner. Rather than having a checklist, definition of ready, or DOD, just get the Scrum Team together and come to an agreement of which items in the Backlog are “ready” for us to attempt.
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