←Back to the Kraken The Kraken · Arm Nº 03 · Unclear goals

Definition of Done vs. Acceptance Criteria

Everyone agreed it was done. Nobody agreed on what done meant.

The short answer

Acceptance Criteria accept one item. The DoD guards them all.

The Definition of Done holds the criteria that apply to everything: tested, reviewed, documented. Acceptance Criteria say what that means for this one item, which cases, which quality, which result.

One checklist per itemOne gate every item passes

Acceptance Criteria

Definition of Done

Does this item work as specified?

The question

Does everything we build meet our standard?

One item. Written fresh for each.

Applies to

Every item. Written once.

Makes sense, right?

But …

My done is not your done

Done is not simply done. It can mean merged, tested, accepted or usable.
Each of these finish lines has its own criteria and its own gates.

Chart Nº 03 · four kinds of done

Every step feels finished. Only one is done.

Kinds of unclear goals

Five ways the finish line blurs

The work moves. The finish line was never drawn.

ACC without a goalAll Acceptance Criteria are met. Nobody wrote down what should exist at the end.

Gates in the ACC“Code reviewed, tests green” is copied into every ticket. The real Acceptance Criteria get lost.

The button, not what it doesThe Acceptance Criteria describe a button. Nobody wrote down its function or its quality.

ACC nobody can test“Works as expected.” Expected by whom, and checked how?

A template nobody fills inHaving a template is a good start. Half of it stays empty, the rest repeats the title.

How unclear goals show

Typical indicators. Not a complete list, but the ones that show up most often.

Sign 1“Is it done?” gets four different answers Sign 2“Done. Oh, that was part of it too?” Sign 3Acceptance Criteria say “works as expected” Sign 4Acceptance Criteria describe the button, not its function or quality Sign 5The DoD is lost in a document nobody follows Sign 6Done is decided in the review, if there is one Sign 7The same item comes back for revision again and again Sign 8Every ticket has a template, nobody fills it in Sign 9“The feature is done when all its tickets are closed”

First the goal, then the Acceptance Criteria

The DoD and Acceptance Criteria are good tools. Without a goal defined as an end state, the Acceptance Criteria are never complete or clear.

1Vague

“Improve password handling.”

What exactly is meant? ? Every reader fills in a different goal.

2Better, but mixed

“Every user can reset their password through an email link within two minutes, on their own and without calling support.”

Closer. But three parts already say how and how fast. Those are Acceptance Criteria.

3Definition of Goal

“Every user resets their login password on their own.”

Only the end state. Nothing in it to measure or tick off.

Acceptance Criteria · when and how the state is reached

A reset link is sent to the registered email address.
The whole reset takes under two minutes.
No step needs the help desk or support.
“Forgot password?” sits on the login page.
Works for every account, customers and staff.
The new password meets the password policy.

This is a feature-level goal. It is broken down further, until every goal is a single one.

The goal names the end state. The Acceptance Criteria say when and how it is reached. If a part of the goal can be measured, it is probably an Acceptance Criterion.

What every Definition of Goal answers

Who?The people whose world changes.Every user

What is true then?A state, not a thing we build.resets their login password on their own

Nothing about howNo solution, no screen, no number.~~a reset button~~ ~~via email link~~ ~~in two minutes~~

The button is a means. The link is a solution. The two minutes are an Acceptance Criterion. The goal is what is true at the end.

Self-check: how clear is your finish line?

Click the statement that holds.

Are you done, or just finished?

A free discovery call, 30 minutes, remote. No slide deck, no obligation.

Send a signal

Talk with us in English · in German