Definition of Done (DoD): Don’t Move the Goalposts

Early in my career, I thought finishing a project meant delivering all the requirements on time. One ServiceNow engagement taught me a hard lesson.

We had sprint reviews where the team showcased working features, but at go-live the business pushed back: “This isn’t what we expected.”

The functionality worked exactly as designed—but no one had agreed on what “done” truly meant.  Testing hadn’t covered real user scenarios, documentation was incomplete, and training was left for later.  The result?  Rework, delays, and a frustrated customer.

That experience changed how I lead projects.  Now, we establish a Definition of Done (DoD) as an agreement from kickoff through delivery.  For me, “done” isn’t just working code—it’s:
✔️ Tested and stable across real use cases
✔️ Documentation and knowledge transfer in place
✔️ Stakeholders trained and confident in adoption
✔️ No open risks or hidden handoffs left behind

The impact is night and day.  When “done” is defined early, everyone sees the same finish line. Teams stay aligned, trust builds, and delivery accelerates because hidden debt doesn’t linger in the background.

💡 Takeaway: Don’t let “done” be a moving target.  Defining it upfront is one of the simplest, most powerful tools to avoid project drift and deliver real value.  This is one of the ways Crossfuze ensures engagement success.