Who calls Ready? Who calls Done!

I love watching track and field events during the Summer Olympics.

My favorite events are the 4 x 100-meter and 4 x 400-meter relay races, where each of the four runners runs one leg of the relay with a baton or stick in one hand. The three lead-off runners carry the baton for one leg of the race, then pass it to the next runner in line. For a smooth baton pass, the approaching runner must call out to the receiving runner to ensure that the receiver is ready for the handover. The final runner receives the baton and carries it across the finish line. Unlike many events in track and field, relay sprints are team events that must be won by the team, not by individual runners.

Success depends on conversations within agile teams.

The success of relay teams depends on how well they communicate when passing and receiving the baton. The success of agile teams depends on how well we interact, share and develop the details of user stories, and learn from feedback on solution increments. User stories are dynamic and are passed back and forth between the customer and the development team until the solution increment is delivered. The conversation and customer collaboration continue until the solution is completed and delivered.

But who calls Ready, and who calls Done during the handover?

Who decides when it’s ready or done

We must agree on the meanings of “Ready” and “Done” before deciding who makes the call that a user story is ready and who makes the call that a solution increment is done. The initiative’s success depends on the team’s understanding of these terms.

On being Ready

The conversation starts at a high level, and the team elaborates progressively over the story until the team understands the features and conditions required for the customer to accept the solution.

The user story is ready for implementation when the team members perform the work:

• agree that the story contains enough detail to proceed,
• assess that it is possible to complete the work within the time allotted, and
• can commit to meeting the acceptance criteria listed in the story.

The implementation team calls, “Ready!”

On being Done

The Scrum Guide™ has an entire section on the definition of “Done.” However, it does not prescribe a definition of “Done” but emphasizes that “Done” must be applied consistently across teams for each product or system within the organization.

• “Done” must be measurable.
• “Done” must be unambiguous.
• “Done” must meet the acceptance criteria specified by the customer in collaboration with the implementation team.

The customer calls, “Done!”

What is the definition of “Done” in your organization?