Timing and clarity are everything in Agile development. Teams don’t want to begin a sprint on user stories that are not only important but actionable as well. That’s where the Definition of Ready (DoR) comes in. But whereas it can pay dividends, it can also take teams two steps back if used negligently.
Let’s delve into what the Definition of Ready is, when to apply it, and how to steer clear of the pitfall of making Agile a stiff, stage-gated approach.
What Is the Definition of Ready in Agile?
Definition of Ready (DoR) is a collection of team-agreed conditions that a product backlog item (PBI) or user story should satisfy before it can be chosen to be in a sprint. It serves to filter only those stories that are ready under defined conditions that can come into the iteration. These can be:
- Definition of Acceptance Criteria
- Proportionate estimation
- Dependencies resolved
- Scope possible within the sprint
- First design/mockups (if applicable)
You might imagine the Definition of Ready to be like the doorman at a nightclub—only stories with the appropriate prerequisites get in.
Definition of Ready Examples
Below are a few samples of Definition of Ready used by Agile teams widely:
- The story is sized and within sprint capacity
- Acceptance criteria are established and verified
- External dependencies are established and set
- UI/UX wireframes are supplied (if applicable)
- Test cases can be established
Note: Principles, not dogma. If not, the Agile flexibility is lost.
Don’t Turn Ready Into a Gate
One of the biggest risks is to turn the DoR into a rigid stage-gate process, such as a waterfall model. In such a model, one wouldn’t start doing anything until the final stage is finished 100% like analysis before design, or design before development. This is the opposite of Agile’s simultaneous engineering concept, where analysis, design, development, and testing usually overlap.
For instance, “final mockups need to be done before development” is a constraint. A improved one would read:
- “Mockups should be started and taken as far as the team can go, so that they can continue from there and have refined it during the sprint.”
- Definition of Ready vs Definition of Done
- The Definition of Ready can all too easily be confused with the Definition of Done (DoD), but they play diametrically opposite roles:
- Definition of Ready tells us when a story is ready to move on into the sprint.
- Definition of Done determines when a story is finished.
- While the DoR is the gate in, the DoD is the gate out.
How SAFe Addresses the Definition of Ready?
SAFe Definition of Ready would be generally used for features and capabilities at program level and user stories at team level. A Definition of Ready for epics in SAFe would, for example, encompass a Lean Business Case, hypothesis of benefits, and prioritization of the portfolio backlog.
SAFe promotes readiness without jeopardizing agility and without bureaucratizing the process excessively, and it ensures alignment across many Agile teams.
How to Implement the Definition of Ready Without Compromising Agility?
To implement the Definition of Ready effectively:
- Lighten up: Don’t require 100% completion before going on.
- Highlight collaboration: Utilize it to facilitate discussion, not checkboxes.
- Provide room for flexibility: All stories don’t require complete mockups or tests scripts prior to initiating sprints.
- Make it a team decision: Develop your Definition of Ready by conducting a Definition of Ready workshop with all the stakeholders involved
The Definition of Ready can prevent chaos and improve sprint predictability, so long as it is deployed responsibly. If used as a gate in its narrow definition, it brings us back to waterfall methodology. Applied with balance and with team ownership, however, it improves flow and product quality.
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FAQs
- What is the difference between Definition of Ready and Definition of Done?
Definition of Ready makes sure a story is ready to be acted upon when a sprint starts, and Definition of Done makes sure a story has all the completion criteria when a sprint finishes.
- Does every Agile team need to have a Definition of Ready?
No. It may be helpful for new or growing teams but, in most cases, experienced Agile teams use ongoing interaction rather than formal entry criteria.
- What constitutes good Definition of Ready for epics?
In enterprise Agile or SAFe, ready epic typically has a Lean Business Case, well-articulated value statement, and stakeholder buy-in.