Definition of Ready (XP2011)

Many agile teams are familiar with Definition of Done as a set of agreements that let everyone know when a user story (or a sprint or a release) is really done, and all necessary activities are complete.

Definition of Ready is a set of agreements that lets everyone know when something is ready to begin, e.g., when a user story is ready to be taken into a sprint, or when all necessary conditions are right for a team to start a sprint.

These are the slides from a talk I gave at XP2011 in Madrid, Spain.

1. Defini&on(of(Ready(

2. @ken_power([email protected](
Concept(
Happy(User(
Do something cool
As a
User
I want to
do something cool with the product
So that I can
benefit in some way

3. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

4. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

5. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

6. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

7. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

8. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

9. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

10. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
Time%
@ken_power([email protected](

11. Product(
Owner(
Team(
Level(of(Focus(on(the(User(Story(
Time%Concept(
S
Start(
S
End(
Ship(It(Done(Accept(
Ready(
Done(
@ken_power([email protected](

12. Why(have(a(Defini&on(of(Ready?(
• So(everyone(knows(when(a(User(Story(is(really%
ready(to(be(taken(into(a(Sprint(
– It(does(not(need(to(be(“100%(defined”(with(all(
acceptance(criteria,(etc.(
– It(does(need(to(be(“ready(enough”(so(that(the(
team(is(confident(they(can(successfully(deliver(
@ken_power([email protected](

13. Defini&on(of(Ready(for(a(User(Story(
• User(Story(defined(
• User(Story(Acceptance(Criteria(defined(
• User(Story(dependencies(iden&fied(
• User(Story(sized(by(Delivery(Team(
• Scrum(Team(accepts(UE(artefacts(
• Performance(criteria(iden&fied,(where(appropriate(
• Person(who(will(accept(the(User(Story(is(iden&fied(
• Team(has(a(good(idea(what(it(will(mean(to(Demo(the(
User(Story(
@ken_power([email protected](

14. Defini&on(of(Ready(for(a(Sprint(
• The(Sprint(Backlog(is(priori&zed(
• The(Spring(Backlog(contains(all(defects,(User(
Stories(and(other(work(that(the(team(is(
commiUng(to(
– No(hidden(work(
– Examples(of(‘other(work’(might(include(lab(setup,(
build(environment(maintenance,(crea&ng(a(test(app(
• All(team(members(have(calculated(their(capacity(
for(the(Sprint(
– Full&me(on(project(=((hours(per(day(
• All(User(Stories(meet(Defini&on(of(Ready(
@ken_power([email protected](