In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?”¹ In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Is this part of the essay your introduction? In your introduction, you should capture the reader's interest, provide background information about your topic, and present your thesis sentence. Look in the Writer's Handbook for ways to improve your introduction.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not.¹ In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision.¹ Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Is this part of the essay your thesis? The purpose of a thesis is to organize, predict, control, and define your essay. Look in the Writer's Handbook for ways to improve your thesis.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way.¹ According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories.¹ For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints.¹ The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously.¹ The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?”¹ question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Criterion has identified three or more main ideas in your essay. Do these ideas support the thesis statement of your essay? Do you use examples, explanations, and details to support and extend your main ideas? Does everything connect back to your thesis statement? Look in the Writer's Handbook for ways to develop main ideas.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary.¹ That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team.¹ We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
¹ First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”.¹ In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete.¹ It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”.¹ There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
¹ Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed.¹ The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done.¹ However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere.¹ This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.¹
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening.¹ A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended.¹ That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.¹
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint.¹ The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only.¹ According to Scrum.¹org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software.¹ It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version.¹ This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product.¹ An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
¹ In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?”¹ Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better.¹ By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.
¹
References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Criterion has identified three or more supporting ideas in this paragraph. Do these ideas support the topic sentence of your paragraph? Use examples, explanations, and details to support and extend your main ideas. Look in the Writer's Handbook for ways to develop supporting ideas.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13).¹ Guide to Agile Practices.¹ Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.¹org.¹ (2014, April 25).¹ Improving the Profession of Software Development.¹ Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Is this part of the essay your conclusion? A conclusion reminds the reader about your thesis, stresses the importance of the ideas you have developed, and leaves the reader with thought-provoking ideas. The Writer's Handbook can provide ideas for improving your conclusion.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First¹ let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to¹ the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words¹, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore¹, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example¹, the categories could be story completed or¹ iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However¹, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition¹, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to¹ Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion¹, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover¹, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹These are the transition words and phrases you have used in your essay. Check the Writer's Handbook to see if you have used each word or phrase correctly.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
¹ Life Cycle Image
¹ http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
¹ Definition of Done Image
¹ https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Is this material a title, class name, section number, opening, closing, signature, or name? This material does not seem to be part of your essay.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.¹org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices.¹ Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org.¹ (2014, April 25).¹ Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
¹ Life Cycle Image
¹ http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
¹ Definition of Done Image
¹ https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹This sentence may be a fragment. Proofread the sentence to be sure that it has at least one independent clause with a complete subject and predicate.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you ¹done¹ yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you ¹done¹ yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹This subject and verb may not agree. Proofread the sentence to make sure the subject agrees with the verb.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease ¹guess¹ work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹This verb may be incorrect. Proofread the sentence to make sure you have used the correct form of the verb.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of ¹done¹ out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹This part of the sentence contains a grammatical error or misspelled word that makes your meaning unclear.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality¹ in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a² “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category³ could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question³ into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition³ of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You may need to use an article before this word. Consider using the article the.
• ²You may need to remove this article.
• ³You may need to use an article before this word.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of¹ done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of¹ done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your² DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of² Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of² Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of² Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of² Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You have used in this sentence. You may need to use have instead.
• ²You have used in this sentence. You may need to use you're instead.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP¹) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org¹, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance¹.org¹/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org¹. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https¹://www.scrum.org¹/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
¹ Definition of Done Image
https¹://www.scrumalliance¹.org¹/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹This word is misspelled. Use a dictionary or spellchecker when you proofread your work.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software.¹ It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?”¹ Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org.¹ (2014, April 25).¹ Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹Remember to capitalize the first word of each sentence.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
¹ Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You are missing a punctuation mark at the end of this sentence.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. ¹A.² (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

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In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, ¹an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, ¹A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You may need to remove this comma.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done¹ yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done¹ or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done”¹ means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done¹ (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done¹ out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”¹. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done¹ List” or a “Done¹ Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done¹, testing done¹ and/or documentation done¹. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.org, the Definition of Done¹ is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done¹ yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13). Guide to Agile Practices. Retrieved from Definition Of Done¹: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.org. (2014, April 25). Improving the Profession of Software Development. Retrieved from Definition of Done¹: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You have repeated these words several times in your essay. Your essay will be stronger if you vary your word choice and substitute some other words instead. Ask your instructor for advice.

In life just as at work, you may have had someone ask you the dreaded question “Are you done yet?” In life outside of work, we can consult our own minds to make the determination if something is done or not. In an agile work environment you are most likely not the only one involved in making that decision. Everyone's opinion on what “done” means may vary. That is why to ensure transparency and improve quality in an agile environment, the definition of done (DoD) must be clearly defined and have a consensus among the team. We will walk through what the DoD is, an example of how to create a DoD and what value it brings to the sprint cycle.
First let's get the definition of done out of the way. According to the Agile Alliance and Institute the DoD is a list of criteria which must be met before a product increment “often a user story” is considered “done”. In other words, it is the acceptance criteria the work must pass to be evaluated as complete. It can be in the form of a “Done List” or a “Done Checklist”. There is no preference on what it is called because they both produce the same results.
Furthermore, when making the list, you can fill the list(s) with initial categories and then put items into those categories. For example, the categories could be story completed or iteration completed. The story completed category could contain tasks like programming done, testing done and/or documentation done. However, you develop your DoD, there should be acceptance criteria from the client in there somewhere. This will decrease guess work and ambiguity.¹
In addition, the DoD is critical to having successful sprints. The most important feature of the DoD is it keeps hidden work or scope creep from happening. A successful sprint must deliver a potentially shipping product (PSP) by the time the sprint has ended. That means a user story or a combination of user stories must be completed to a point that the next release of the product can be packaged up and sent to its users.
To make sure the sprints are prosperous, the exercise of creating the DoD must take place stated previously. The DoD gets iteratively worked just like the user stories within each sprint. The only difference is the DoD gets worked outside of sprints only. According to Scrum.¹org, the Definition of Done is not changed during a Sprint, but should change periodically between Sprints to reflect improvements the Development Team has made in its processes and capabilities to deliver software. It is recommended that the team members and the stakeholders come up with a current or realistic version and an ideal version. This way the team always has stretch goals to strive for to improve the quality of the product. An ideal DoD may be to have 100% code coverage, but the reality is most likely to hit 80%.
In conclusion, a good DoD will change the “Are you done yet?” question into a much better question “Is the story completed yet?” Moreover, you will find the risk is reduced, teams are more focused, and communication between the client is better. By making the DoD a way of life and committing to exceptional work, the client will be able to visualize what complete really is.

References
Agile, A. A. (2013, February 13).¹ Guide to Agile Practices.¹ Retrieved from Definition Of Done: http://guide.agilealliance.org/guide/definition-of-done.html
Scrum.¹org.¹ (2014, April 25).¹ Improving the Profession of Software Development.¹ Retrieved from Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/Resources/Scrum-Glossary/Definition-of-Done
¹ Life Cycle Image
http://ditisagile.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Use-case-Life-cycle.png
Definition of Done Image
https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2014/january/why-using-a-definition-of-done-in-an-agile-project

• ¹You have many short sentences in this essay. You can often improve your sentence structure by combining sentences.