Evolution of Definition of Done (DoD) in Nexus
Hello! I understand that according to the Nexus guide, the Nexus Integration Team is responsible for the DoD, yet I am wondering who can change this, and how the DoD can be changed, e.g. in a Nexus Sprint Restrospective? Appreciate for your replies!
The Nexus Integration Team is responsible for the Nexus's Definition of Done. As in Scrum, the best place to discuss changes to the Definition of Done would be at the Sprint Retrospective.
Consider that individual Scrum Teams can choose to apply a more rigorous Definition of Done for their work. That may provide a good opportunity for teams to set up an experiment and demonstrate effectiveness and value of a particular change. The change can be brought back into the Nexus Sprint Retrospective to determine if it should be brought into the Nexus's Definition of Done. However, the Nexus's Definition of Done can also be changed in response to addressing problems that the Nexus faced.
Thanks for your reply! Now it is clearer to me. So a team can experiment a new DoD on the team level (of course it must be more rigorous than the current DoD across teams). If it works well (e.g. helps to improve the whole process), it can bring the item to the Nexus Sprint Retrospective, but the Nexus Integration Team decides finally whether to adopt this change, right?
Thinking about it some more, I think that "more rigorous" may be wrong. A team's Definition of Done cannot be less rigorous than that of the Nexus, but I'm not entirely confident in saying that it must be more rigorous.
Individual teams, as well as the Nexus, can iterate on the Definition of Done. A team's experiment is one way to identify a way to increase the rigor of the Nexus's Definition of Done, but it isn't the only way. The Nexus as a whole can discuss and adopt a change without it coming from an individual team. My understanding is that the Nexus Integration Team is ultimately responsible for the Nexus's Definition of Done.
Thanks!
My understanding is that the Nexus Integration Team is ultimately responsible for the Nexus's Definition of Done.
It might be better to think of the Nexus Integration Team as being ultimately responsible for the Definition of Done of the integrated increment. That's the language used in the Guide, and it's been chosen carefully. My advice is to think of the Definition of Done as applying to the product, rather than to a team or connected group of teams, even when they are responsible for inspecting and adapting it.