What Happens If a Team Ignores the DoD or Fails to Get to Done?
If a team ignores the DoD or fails to get to Done, quality becomes unreliable, progress is unclear, planning loses accuracy, and rushed work often leads to costly rework. Getting to Done is what makes the product genuinely valuable.
Metaphor
Ignoring the Definition of Done is like building a house but skipping the final inspection. It may look complete from the outside, but hidden flaws make it unsafe, unpredictable, and costly to fix later.
In Scrum, failing to get to Done undermines quality, transparency, and trust—erasing the very value the Increment is meant to deliver.
Defining a DoD comes with its own set of pitfalls.
Works Consulted
In addition to any sources cited above, the following works informed my thinking: (1)
1.
Definition of Done [Internet]. [cited 2025 Sep 6]. Available from: https://www.scrum.org/learning-series/definition-done/