Definition of Done Enforcer

Overview

Systematically validate that completed work meets the team's Definition of Done. Ensures consistent quality and prevents "almost done" from becoming "done."

Core principle: Done means done—not "done except for..." Consistent DoD enforcement prevents quality erosion.

When to Use

•Reviewing stories for sprint acceptance
•Pre-demo validation
•Release readiness check
•Onboarding team to quality standards

Output Format

yaml

dod_evaluation:
  story_id: "[Story ID]"
  story_title: "[Title]"
  evaluator: "[Name]"
  evaluation_date: "[YYYY-MM-DD]"
  
  checklist:
    code_quality:
      - item: "Code reviewed and approved"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        notes: "[Details if not passing]"
      - item: "No known bugs"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        notes: ""
        
    testing:
      - item: "Unit tests written and passing"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        coverage: "[X%]"
      - item: "Integration tests passing"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
      - item: "Manual QA completed"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        
    deployment:
      - item: "Deployed to staging"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
      - item: "Verified in staging"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        
    documentation:
      - item: "User documentation updated"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
      - item: "Technical documentation updated"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        
    acceptance:
      - item: "Acceptance criteria verified"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | N/A]"
        criteria_results:
          - criterion: "[AC-1]"
            status: "[Pass | Fail]"
      - item: "PO acceptance"
        status: "[Pass | Fail | Pending]"
  
  summary:
    total_items: "[N]"
    passed: "[N]"
    failed: "[N]"
    not_applicable: "[N]"
    overall_status: "[Ready | Not Ready]"
  
  gaps:
    - item: "[DoD item not met]"
      severity: "[Blocking | Significant | Minor]"
      remediation: "[What's needed to pass]"
      effort: "[Estimated time]"
      owner: "[Who will fix]"
  
  recommendation:
    accept: [true | false]
    conditions: ["[If conditional acceptance]"]
    next_steps: ["[Required actions]"]

Standard DoD Template

Universal DoD Items

yaml

definition_of_done:
  code:
    - "Code compiles without errors"
    - "Code follows team style guidelines"
    - "Code reviewed by at least one peer"
    - "No new technical debt without documentation"
    
  testing:
    - "Unit tests written for new code"
    - "All tests pass (unit, integration, e2e)"
    - "Test coverage meets threshold"
    - "Edge cases tested per acceptance criteria"
    
  quality:
    - "No critical or high severity bugs"
    - "Performance meets requirements"
    - "Security review passed (if applicable)"
    
  deployment:
    - "Deployed to staging environment"
    - "Smoke tests pass in staging"
    - "Feature flag configured (if applicable)"
    
  documentation:
    - "User-facing docs updated"
    - "API documentation updated (if applicable)"
    - "Runbook updated (if applicable)"
    
  acceptance:
    - "All acceptance criteria met"
    - "Demonstrated to PO"
    - "PO accepted"

Context-Specific Additions

Regulated Environment

yaml

regulated_additions:
  - "Audit logging implemented"
  - "Compliance review passed"
  - "Change request approved"
  - "Evidence captured for audit"

Customer-Facing

yaml

customer_facing_additions:
  - "Accessibility standards met"
  - "Cross-browser testing completed"
  - "Mobile responsive verified"
  - "Localization reviewed"

Evaluation Process

Quick Check (5 min)

yaml

quick_check:
  - "Tests passing in CI?"
  - "PR approved and merged?"
  - "Deployed to staging?"
  - "Demo shown to PO?"

Full Evaluation (15-30 min)

yaml

full_evaluation:
  - Review all checklist items
  - Verify evidence for each
  - Note any gaps or concerns
  - Discuss with developer if unclear
  - Document recommendation

Gap Severity

Severity	Definition	Action
Blocking	Cannot accept without fix	Must remediate before done
Significant	Should fix before release	Accept with commitment to fix
Minor	Nice to fix, not required	Accept, track as improvement

Common Gaps

Gap	Typical Cause	Prevention
Missing tests	Time pressure	Include test time in estimates
Docs outdated	Forgotten	Add to PR checklist
Staging not verified	Environment issues	Automate verification
AC not all met	Scope creep or oversight	Review AC before marking done

Enforcement Approaches

Collaborative (Recommended)

yaml

approach:
  - Developer self-certifies DoD
  - Peer reviews evidence
  - PO verifies acceptance criteria
  - Disagreements discussed, not dictated

Automated (Partial)

yaml

automated_checks:
  - CI/CD gates (tests, coverage, linting)
  - Deployment verification
  - Documentation link check
  
manual_checks:
  - Acceptance criteria verification
  - PO acceptance
  - Edge case quality

Handling "Almost Done"

Symptoms

•"Just needs testing"
•"Waiting for review"
•"Works on my machine"
•"Docs will be done later"

Response

yaml

response:
  acknowledge: "I see significant work is done"
  clarify: "Our DoD requires [missing items] before we call it done"
  plan: "What do you need to complete these items?"
  support: "How can I help unblock?"

DoD Evolution

When to Update DoD

yaml

update_triggers:
  - "Repeated quality issues from same gap"
  - "Team capability improvement"
  - "New compliance requirement"
  - "Retrospective identifies need"

Update Process

yaml

update_process:
  - "Propose change in retrospective"
  - "Discuss effort impact"
  - "Team agrees to adoption"
  - "Update documentation"
  - "Communicate to stakeholders"

Evaluation Checklist

• All DoD items evaluated
• Evidence reviewed (not just self-reported)
• Gaps documented with severity
• Remediation plan for gaps
• Recommendation is clear
• Developer and PO aligned