Scrum Teams don’t set the bar for quality—they meet it. The Definition of Done (DoD) isn’t a wishlist or a stretch goal. It’s a hard line that determines what is releasable. And if your DoD isn’t improving Sprint over Sprint, you’re accumulating risk and technical debt.
Too many teams treat DoD as negotiable. It’s not. It’s governance. It ensures predictability, manages risk, and protects revenue. A weak or fluctuating DoD means your organisation has no real control over quality.
If someone suggests lowering the DoD to “deliver more features,” ask them to get it in writing from the financial director—because that’s not a technical decision, it’s a financial and risk decision.
Your Definition of Done should never be static, but always evolving to maximise the quality. Anything less is dysfunction.
How often is your team strengthening its DoD?
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
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