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Commonly confused · Project Management & Agile

Definition of Done vs Acceptance Criteria: What's the Difference?

The Definition of Done is a shared quality standard that applies to every backlog item and the increment, such as code reviewed, tested, and documented. Acceptance criteria are specific conditions for a single user story that describe the expected behavior it must deliver.

Definition of Done

Full definition
vs

Acceptance Criteria

Full definition
Definition of DoneAcceptance Criteria
ScopeAll Product Backlog items and the incrementOne specific item
PurposeEnsure consistent qualityDefine functional expectations
Created byScrum Team (or organizational standard)Product Owner with the team
ChangesRarely, evolves via retrospectivesUnique for each story
ExamplePeer reviewed, unit tests pass, deployed to stagingGiven an expired card, when the user pays, then show an error
Remember it

Done is the universal checklist; acceptance criteria are the story's personal requirements.

Exam tip

An item is complete only when it meets both. The Definition of Done is a formal Scrum commitment for the Increment; acceptance criteria are not mentioned in the Scrum Guide.

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