HKSM

A shared set of completion standards that apply to every user story. A clear, agreed Definition of Done reduces ambiguity and ensures the team meets required quality practices. These standards are established when creating the prioritized product backlog. A user story counts as done only after it is shown to the Product Owner and accepted against the Done Criteria and the story-specific acceptance criteria.

Key Points

• Common checklist for all user stories that defines minimum completeness and quality.
• Removes ambiguity, aligns expectations, and reduces rework.
• Typically covers code, tests, reviews, integration, documentation, and deployability.
• Used by the Product Owner to accept work; distinct from story-level acceptance criteria.

Example

A Scrum team defines Done Criteria: code peer-reviewed, unit tests at 80% coverage and passing, integrated to main branch, updated user documentation, security checks passed, and acceptance criteria met. At sprint review, the team demos a story; the Product Owner verifies these Done Criteria plus the story's acceptance criteria before accepting it.

PMP Example Question

Which statement best describes Done Criteria in an agile project?

1. A list of tasks in the sprint backlog for a specific story.
2. A shared definition of completion that applies to all user stories.
3. The acceptance criteria written by the Product Owner for one story.
4. A release plan describing how increments are deployed to production.

Correct Answer: B — A shared definition of completion for all stories

Explanation: Done Criteria are the common standards used to judge whether any user story is complete, while acceptance criteria are specific to a single story.