What is Ready in a DoR? Rationales, Responsibility & Rules in using a Definition of Ready

Abstract

In agile software development, a Definition of Ready (DoR) is used to indicate conditions a Product Backlog Item (PBI) has to meet before accepting it into a Sprint Backlog. This research aims (1) to identify those conditions, (2) to investigate why Scrum teams do or do not use a DoR, and (3) to identify which (Scrum) role is responsible for drafting a DoR. Research questions are answered by a literature review and interviews with Scrum team members. Results show that conditions vary, but common elements are include INVEST criteria, clearly defining, and prioritizing a PBI. Reasons to use a DoR include a positive impact on workflow, like an efficient process or increased quality of software. Teams might not use a DoR, because of overhead of writing it or encouraging a less ‘agile way of thinking’. Both Product Owner and Scrum Master can be involved in defining and maintaining a DoR, and it is considered good practice to involve all team members. Our findings also reveal that use of a DoR is not intuitive per se.