All too often, even when a task includes lots of detail, it’s unclear what it means for a task to be complete.
“Done is” bridges this gap by offering a lightweight style for explicitly defining acceptance criteria at the end of a task:
My awesome task
A ton of great detail about the task.
Done is:
– Simple sentence describing the first acceptance criteria.
– Another sentence describing the second acceptance criteria.
– A third acceptance criteria if there is one.
Uncertainty breeds discontent
A missing definition of done can easily cause a rift between the task creator and the task implementer.
The rift starts when the implementer thinks they’re done and hands off the work for review. The creator becomes irritated when they discover the work is missing pieces P, Q, and R. The rift gets worse when the implementer knows they need to add P, Q, and R, but also realizes there might also be an unstated S, T, and U.
The root cause of this frustration? Implicit information that could’ve been explicit.
“Done is” provides clarity
Later this morning, I need to make lunches for my kids. In our project management system, the task might look like this:
Pack Kids’ Lunches
Ava prefers half a bagel with cream cheese, and Charlie likes a bean burrito. The lunch boxes are under the sink.
The task title is good because it’s actionable, and the task description has useful context. However, there’s lots of important but unstated nuance.
Adding a definition of “Done is” makes the end deliverable even more explicit:
Pack Kids’ Lunches
Ava prefers half a bagel with cream cheese, and Charlie likes a bean burrito. The lunch boxes are under the sink.
Done is:
– Each lunch has a fruit or vegetable, a main item, and a secondary item.
– The lunches have passed the kids’ inspections.
– Each kid has a lunch packed in their backpack.
Hack work with “Done is”
Over the last several years, I’ve found “Done is” to be an incredibly helpful communication tool.
“Done is” provides a simple mechanism to explicitly define a task’s, often implicit, acceptance criteria. The list format makes it easy to skim as work progresses. Furthermore, it can act as a bellwether for the quality of a task. If “Done is” has more than five bullet points, the task may need to be broken down into smaller pieces. Or, if it’s difficult to communicate what “Done is”, the task may need further consideration.
“Done is” makes it obvious what done is.
Many thanks to Samuel for the introduction.