LEARN. PRACTICE. GROW.Concept and mechanism
The Definition of Done creates shared understanding of the quality required for an Increment. Work that does not meet it cannot count as part of the Increment, even if a demonstration looks convincing. Applicable organizational standards are a minimum, and teams on the same product need a shared definition. Kanban practices can complement Scrum to improve flow without changing its accountabilities. Define where work starts and finishes, states, policies, and work-in-progress control. Blocked work still occupies the system; hiding it in a column outside the count does not remove the dependency. The Scrum Master helps the team observe the mechanism constraining delivery.
Guided application
In an original exercise, nine items started and five finished, with no other work: four remain in progress. If the team finished 24 items in six working days, observed throughput is four items per day, not four story points. The May 2025 Kanban Guide distinguishes age of open work from cycle time of completed work. An SLE combines duration and probability for the defined workflow; it does not guarantee a specific item will finish within that duration. Use age and blockers to guide collaboration and dependency removal. Raising the WIP limit whenever a queue grows can hide the problem and start more work without completion capacity.
WIP=9−5=4; throughput=24÷6=4 items/day under the exercise conditions.
Common pitfalls
Almost done as Done; blocked work outside WIP; SLE as a guarantee; throughput as points.
Related topics: Accountability and service to the team · Goals, planning, and interruptions · Facilitation and useful events
Improve completion and quality before celebrating more started work.
Reference: The Kanban Guide · Scrum Guide November2020; Kanban Guide May2025; EBM May2024; primary guidance reviewed 2026-09-30