CST CST Definition of Done & Team Self-Organization 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Scrum, who is responsible for creating the Definition of Done?
- The Product Owner alone
- The Scrum Master alone
- The Developers, or the organization when multiple teams share one (Correct answer)
- An external quality assurance team
Correct answer: The Developers, or the organization when multiple teams share one
The Developers own the Definition of Done; if multiple teams work on the same product, they must jointly define and adhere to a shared DoD.
Question 2: A Scrum Team's Definition of Done does not include automated testing. What is the primary risk?
- Sprints will consistently run longer than planned
- Technical debt accumulates and future changes become more costly (Correct answer)
- The Product Owner will reject Increment reviews
- The Scrum Master will receive negative stakeholder feedback
Correct answer: Technical debt accumulates and future changes become more costly
Without automated tests in the DoD, unverified code creates hidden defects that compound over time, increasing the cost of change.
Question 3: What does 'potentially releasable' mean in the context of a Sprint Increment?
- The Increment has been formally approved by the Product Owner
- The Increment meets the Definition of Done and could be deployed without additional work (Correct answer)
- The Increment has passed user acceptance testing by stakeholders
- The Increment has been staged in a production-like environment
Correct answer: The Increment meets the Definition of Done and could be deployed without additional work
An Increment is potentially releasable when every item in it meets the DoD, meaning it is of sufficient quality to ship if the PO chooses.
Question 4: How does a strong Definition of Done support the Scrum value of Transparency?
- It tells stakeholders exactly which features will be delivered
- It makes the quality standards for 'done' visible to all team members and stakeholders (Correct answer)
- It ensures the team never misses Sprint Goals
- It documents the team's velocity for reporting purposes
Correct answer: It makes the quality standards for 'done' visible to all team members and stakeholders
A clear DoD creates a shared, transparent understanding of what constitutes a complete, quality Increment for everyone involved.
Question 5: When should a Scrum Team expand their Definition of Done?
- Only when directed by the Product Owner
- When quality standards evolve or new capabilities allow higher-quality outputs (Correct answer)
- At the beginning of every new project phase
- Whenever a Sprint Goal is missed
Correct answer: When quality standards evolve or new capabilities allow higher-quality outputs
Teams should continuously raise their DoD as they mature, incorporating improvements like security scanning or performance benchmarks over time.
Question 6: A CST observes that Developers mark stories 'done' even when they don't meet the DoD to avoid looking slow. What should the CST coach?
- Increase Sprint length to give teams more time
- That pretending items are Done undermines Increment integrity and erodes stakeholder trust (Correct answer)
- That the Scrum Master should lower the DoD standards
- That the Product Owner should accept partial completion
Correct answer: That pretending items are Done undermines Increment integrity and erodes stakeholder trust
Pretending items are Done when they aren't creates invisible technical debt and false confidence in the Increment's quality.
CST CST Definition of Done & Team Self-Organization 1
In Scrum, who is responsible for creating the Definition of Done?