Definition
Definition of Ready
A definition of ready is a shared checklist a backlog item must satisfy before a team accepts it into a sprint. It typically requires that the item is clear, estimated, free of blocking dependencies, and has acceptance criteria. It is the entry gate to work, the mirror image of the definition of done, which is the exit gate.
Key takeaways
- A definition of ready is a shared checklist a backlog item must satisfy before a team accepts it into a sprint. It typically requires that the item is clear, estimated, free of blocking dependencies, and has acceptance criteria. It is the entry gate to work, the mirror image of the definition of done, which is the exit gate.
- The definition of ready protects a sprint from starting work that isn't actually ready to be worked.
- Planoda surfaces the signals a definition of ready depends on — estimate, acceptance criteria, open dependencies, assignee — directly on each issue, so a team can see at a glance whether an item is ready to pull.
The definition of ready protects a sprint from starting work that isn't actually ready to be worked. It is a team agreement: an item may only be pulled in once it meets a few conditions — understood by the team, small enough to finish in a sprint, estimated, dependency-free or with dependencies resolved, and carrying clear acceptance criteria.
It sits opposite the definition of done. Done is the exit gate that says work is complete; ready is the entry gate that says work is fit to begin. Both exist to prevent a common failure: pulling in half-understood items, discovering the gaps mid-sprint, and watching the sprint stall on questions that should have been answered during refinement.
The risk is over-formalizing it. A heavyweight definition of ready can become a bureaucratic hurdle that delays starting valuable work or pushes teams toward big up-front analysis. The intent is a lightweight quality bar, not a contract — enough certainty to start confidently, not so much that the team gold-plates every item before touching it.
Planoda surfaces the signals a definition of ready depends on — estimate, acceptance criteria, open dependencies, assignee — directly on each issue, so a team can see at a glance whether an item is ready to pull.
Related terms
- Definition of DoneA definition of done is a shared, explicit checklist of what must be true before any work item counts as complete — code reviewed, tests passing, documentation updated, deployed. It removes ambiguity about the word 'done,' preventing half-finished work from being declared finished and creating a consistent quality bar across the whole team.
- Backlog RefinementBacklog refinement is the ongoing practice of keeping a product backlog ready to work: clarifying items, splitting large ones, adding estimates and acceptance criteria, and re-ordering by priority. Often called grooming, it is continuous rather than a single event, ensuring the top of the backlog is always well-understood and small enough to be pulled into a sprint.
- Acceptance CriteriaAcceptance criteria are the specific, testable conditions a work item must satisfy to be considered complete and correct. Written before work starts, they define the boundaries of a feature — what it must do, and how you'll know it works — turning a vague request into a checklist everyone agrees on, so 'done' is verifiable rather than a matter of opinion.
- Sprint PlanningSprint planning is the meeting that opens a sprint, where the team reviews the prioritized backlog and decides what it will commit to in the coming iteration. The team agrees on a sprint goal, pulls a realistic amount of work it believes it can finish, and clarifies scope. The output is a concrete, achievable plan for the time-box ahead.
- DependencyA dependency is a relationship where one piece of work cannot proceed or finish until another is done. Dependencies make the order of work matter: a blocked item must wait for its blocker to clear. Tracking them explicitly reveals the true sequence of a project and surfaces the chains that most threaten the timeline.