Definition of Done (DoD)

R&D Operating Model — The shared checklist that determines when work is truly complete.

Epic Definition of Done

When all Stories under an Epic are complete, the team holds an Epic Closing Ceremony — a live meeting to walk through this checklist before marking the Epic as Done.

Attendees: Full team + User Learning. If User Impact = Yes, Marketing must also attend.

Delivery Complete

All Stories under the Epic are Done (meeting the Story DoD)

Epic scope delivered matches what was committed (or re-scoped with PM approval)

No open blockers or unresolved dependencies

User Impact & GTM Readiness

User Impact field is set on the Epic (Yes / No)

If User Impact = Yes: Marketing has confirmed GTM readiness (launch comms, collateral, customer-facing messaging)

If User Impact = Yes: User Learning has confirmed documentation readiness (help docs, release notes, in-app guidance)

If User Impact = Yes: Support Enablement is complete (runbooks, training, troubleshooting guides)

Deployed & Verified

Feature deployed to production (GA, Beta, or Dark Launch as planned)

Production smoke tests passing

No S1/S2 defects open against the Epic

Accepted & Closed

Product Manager has accepted the Epic as Done

Success Metrics from the Epic description are baselined or measurable

Epic status updated to Done in JIRA

FixVersion confirmed

Bug Definition of Done

Every Bug must meet all checked criteria before being moved to "Done."

Bug Resolution Checklist

Root cause identified and documented in JIRA (Root Cause field)

Fix implemented and code reviewed

Regression test added to prevent recurrence

Verified fix in staging environment

Original reporter notified (if customer-reported)

SLA compliance verified

JIRA status updated to Done

Task Definition of Done

Every Task must meet all checked criteria before being moved to "Done."

Task Completion Checklist

Task objective completed as described

Output documented or shared with relevant stakeholders

No follow-up actions remaining (or follow-ups logged as new items)

JIRA status updated to Done

Vulnerability Definition of Done

Every Vulnerability must meet all checked criteria before being moved to "Done."

Vulnerability Remediation Checklist

Vulnerability remediated per the defined fix

Security review completed (if required)

Regression tests confirm no new issues introduced

Deployed to production within SLA window

Security team notified of resolution

JIRA status updated to Done

What "Done" Does NOT Mean

"Done" does not mean "works on my machine"
"Done" does not mean "code is written but not reviewed"
"Done" does not mean "tested by the developer only"
"Done" does not mean "deployed to dev but not staging"
If it doesn't meet this checklist, it stays In Progress

Team Acknowledgment

By agreeing to this Definition of Done, we commit to not marking work as "Done" unless it meets these criteria.

Name	Role	Date

Definition of Done (DoD)

Epic Definition of Done

Story Definition of Done

Bug Definition of Done

Task Definition of Done

Vulnerability Definition of Done

Team Acknowledgment