The concept of “Definition of Ready” is not explicitly a part of the official Scrum framework, but many Scrum teams find it beneficial to establish and use a Definition of Ready as a complementary practice. The Definition of Ready is a set of criteria or conditions that a product backlog item must meet before it is deemed ready to be taken up in a sprint for implementation. While the Scrum Guide, which outlines the rules and practices of Scrum, doesn’t prescribe a specific Definition of Ready, it does emphasize the importance of having a well-refined product backlog.
The Scrum Guide focuses on the “Definition of Done,” which defines the criteria that must be met for a product increment to be considered complete. This ensures that the team delivers a potentially releasable product increment at the end of each sprint. However, to enhance the efficiency of sprint planning and ensure that backlog items are well-prepared for implementation, teams often introduce the concept of a Definition of Ready.
Usually a team can confidently pull a Product Backlog Item into a Sprint if that item is:
Explained, Clarified, Understood, Estimated and Ordered.
The Definition of Ready may include various criteria as mentioned below that satisfies the above conditions:
Clear User Stories (Product Backlog Items):
User stories or backlog items should be well-defined and understood by the team. They should provide clear value to the end-users. The user stories should be small enough so that they can be completed end to end in a couple of days.
Acceptance Criteria:
Clearly defined acceptance criteria help in understanding the conditions that must be met for a user story to be considered complete. Creating the Acceptance criteria that includes: Success, advance, failure and error scenarios will be more helpful.
Dependencies Identified:
Any dependencies on external factors or other user stories should be identified and addressed clearly.
Estimation:
The Developers should be able to provide an estimation to the Product Backlog Item.
Brief Designs or Wireframes:
Depending on the nature of the work, having high level designs or wireframes may be necessary to guide implementation.
Priority and Value:
The relative priority and value of each backlog item should be clear to facilitate effective sprint planning.
However, if the Definition of Ready is not used properly then it may create friction between the Product Owner and the Developers. So the Definition of Ready should not be like the speed breaker on the road that impedes the speed of the vehicle, rather it should be like the sign boards on the road side that helps the drivers to drive safe and also with possible speed. So while creating a Definition of Ready, follow the below as guidelines.
Not so good Definition of Ready | Good Definition of Ready |
All the acceptance criteria must be 100% clearly defined | At least critical and important acceptance criteria has to be defined clearly |
All the clarifications must be cleared by the Product Owner | Major clarifications have to be cleared and remaining are reported to the Product Owner |
Signed off User interface must be in place | A high level mock up is available |
All the dependencies are clearly identified | Important dependencies are clear |
Architecture and design should be finalized | High level architecture and design changes are discussed |
Implementing a Definition of Ready helps teams avoid ambiguity and ensures that the selected Product backlog items are reasonably well-prepared for implementation during sprint planning. It can be a valuable practice for improving the flow and predictability of work within a sprint, enhancing collaboration, and reducing rework caused by unclear or incomplete requirements. However, it’s essential for each Scrum team to tailor its Definition of Ready to suit its specific needs and context.
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