Problem

Both concepts are strictly related to Scrum, although only one - the DoD - is defined by it.

The confusion in understanding the differences is related to the “Ready” and “Done” being similar in meaning.

To move further we need to introduce the third term: PBI - the Product Backlog Item, which is a set of business criteria to be developed.

The regular flow is that the PBI waits for its turn to be picked by the development team for the development. When it’s complete, it’s considered as done.

Knowing all of that, we can move forward.

Definition of Ready

The Definition of Ready is a set of criteria for the PBI to be picked by the developmnet team for the development.

The criteria are defined by the team and usually come down to:

• Who is the addressee of the PBI

• What does the owner wants to achieve

• Why this is needed

• And what are the Acceptance Criteria

Definition of Done

Usually the DoD is not just “the end of the development”, this should mean that the PBI is really DONE and is bringing a VALUE.

The typical DoD criteria might be as follows:

• The development is done

• The tests are covering business use cases

• The feature is being released

This is basically the end of life for the PBI.

Sources

• The Power of Jira Ticket: https://blog.skopow.ski/the-power-of-jira-ticket

• Scrum: https://www.scrum.org/