A Definition of Workflow explains how work moves through each stage, using clear rules and limits to make progress visible and support team collaboration and improvement.
In Kanban, the Definition of Workflow (DoW) is not a static checklist. It is a dynamic model of how work flows through a value stream, and how progress is made visible. The Kanban Guide defines it as the explicit agreements and policies that guide how work is selected, started, progressed, and completed.
It includes:
It’s how you define “what we mean when we say we’re doing the work.”
This isn’t about micromanagement. It’s about making the system legible, so we can improve it. Kanban treats workflow as something we inspect and evolve. Not define once and forget.
Scrum doesn’t explicitly define a “Definition of Workflow,” but it does have a Definition of Done (DoD) and expects teams to visualise their work.
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