Definition of Done Templates for Cloud, AI, DevOps, and QA

Why Definition of Done Matters

A clear Definition of Done (DoD) ensures consistency, quality, and shared understanding across your team. It answers the question: "When is a story truly complete?"

Universal DoD Elements

These apply to all teams, regardless of specialty:

• ✅ Code reviewed and approved
• ✅ Automated tests passing
• ✅ Documentation updated
• ✅ Acceptance criteria met
• ✅ Deployed to staging environment
• ✅ Product Owner acceptance

Cloud Engineering DoD

Infrastructure as Code

• ☑️ Terraform/CloudFormation code reviewed
• ☑️ Infrastructure validated in dev environment
• ☑️ Cost impact analyzed and documented
• ☑️ Security groups and IAM policies reviewed
• ☑️ Backup and disaster recovery tested
• ☑️ Monitoring and alerting configured
• ☑️ Infrastructure documentation updated

Cloud Services

• ☑️ Service health checks implemented
• ☑️ Auto-scaling policies configured
• ☑️ SLA compliance verified
• ☑️ Cost optimization opportunities identified
• ☑️ Compliance requirements met (HIPAA, SOC2, etc.)

AI/ML DoD

Model Development

• ☑️ Training data versioned and documented
• ☑️ Model performance metrics meet acceptance criteria
• ☑️ Bias and fairness analysis completed
• ☑️ Model interpretability documented
• ☑️ Edge cases and failure modes tested
• ☑️ Model registered in model registry

ML Pipeline

• ☑️ Training pipeline automated and tested
• ☑️ Model validation pipeline in place
• ☑️ Rollback strategy defined and tested
• ☑️ Monitoring for model drift configured
• ☑️ A/B testing framework ready
• ☑️ Inference latency meets requirements

DevOps DoD

CI/CD Pipeline

• ☑️ Build pipeline green on all branches
• ☑️ Automated tests included in pipeline
• ☑️ Security scanning completed (SAST, DAST)
• ☑️ Container images scanned for vulnerabilities
• ☑️ Deployment scripts tested
• ☑️ Rollback procedure documented and tested
• ☑️ Pipeline as code checked into version control

Infrastructure

• ☑️ Observability stack configured (logs, metrics, traces)
• ☑️ Alerting thresholds defined and tested
• ☑️ Runbooks created for common issues
• ☑️ Capacity planning data collected
• ☑️ Incident response procedures updated

QA/Test Engineering DoD

Test Coverage

• ☑️ Unit tests written (target: 80%+ coverage)
• ☑️ Integration tests cover key workflows
• ☑️ E2E tests for critical user journeys
• ☑️ Performance tests baseline established
• ☑️ Accessibility testing completed (WCAG AA)
• ☑️ Cross-browser testing done
• ☑️ Mobile responsiveness verified

Test Automation

• ☑️ Tests integrated into CI/CD pipeline
• ☑️ Test data management strategy implemented
• ☑️ Flaky tests identified and fixed
• ☑️ Test maintenance documented
• ☑️ Test results visible to all team members

Code Review DoD

What Reviewers Should Check

• ☑️ Code follows team style guide
• ☑️ No obvious bugs or logic errors
• ☑️ Error handling is appropriate
• ☑️ Performance implications considered
• ☑️ Security vulnerabilities addressed
• ☑️ Code is readable and maintainable
• ☑️ Tests are comprehensive and meaningful

Documentation DoD

Technical Documentation

• ☑️ README updated with new features
• ☑️ API documentation generated
• ☑️ Architecture diagrams updated
• ☑️ Configuration changes documented
• ☑️ Migration guides written (if applicable)

User Documentation

• ☑️ User guides updated
• ☑️ Release notes drafted
• ☑️ Help text and tooltips reviewed
• ☑️ Training materials prepared (if needed)

Security DoD

• ☑️ Security scan completed and issues addressed
• ☑️ Dependency vulnerabilities checked
• ☑️ Authentication and authorization tested
• ☑️ Sensitive data properly encrypted
• ☑️ Secrets not hardcoded in code
• ☑️ Security best practices followed

Implementing Your DoD

1. Start Simple

Don't try to implement everything at once. Start with the most critical items and expand over time.

2. Make It Visible

• Post it in your team space
• Include it in ticket templates
• Reference it in code review guidelines
• Discuss it in sprint planning

3. Automate Where Possible

• Use PR templates with DoD checklists
• Automate checks in CI/CD pipeline
• Use linters and static analysis tools

4. Review and Improve

• Revisit DoD quarterly
• Add items that you keep forgetting
• Remove items that aren't adding value
• Adjust based on team maturity

Key Takeaways

• A strong DoD ensures consistency and quality
• Customize your DoD based on your team's specialty
• Make it visible and enforceable
• Automate checks wherever possible
• Review and improve regularly

Your Definition of Done is a living document. Start with these templates, customize them for your team, and evolve them as you learn what works best.