What is Definition of Ready?

The Definition of Ready (DoR) is a shared checklist of criteria a user story or work item must meet before the team commits to working on it, ensuring the item is clear, feasible, and testable enough to start without immediate blockers.

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IN DEPTH

In depth.

If the Definition of Done says when work is finished, the Definition of Ready says when work is fit to start. A typical DoR requires that a story is clearly described, has agreed acceptance criteria, is small enough to fit in a sprint, has dependencies identified, is estimated, and, importantly for QA, is testable, you can tell how it will be verified. Pulling in stories that fail the DoR leads to mid-sprint confusion, rework, and stories that cannot be tested because no one agreed what "correct" means.

For QA, the DoR is a powerful shift-left lever. Insisting that acceptance criteria be clear and testable before work starts surfaces ambiguities early (often in the three-amigos conversation), exactly when they are cheapest to resolve. A tester reviewing readiness asks "how would I verify this?" and "what are the edge cases?", improving the story before a line of code is written.

Like the Definition of Done, the DoR is a team agreement, not a rigid gate, used to improve flow, not to bureaucratically block work. Teams calibrate it so stories are ready enough to start productively without demanding unrealistic up-front perfection.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why interviewers ask about this.

The Definition of Ready, and contrasting it with Definition of Done, is a common agile-QA interview topic. Emphasizing that QA should ensure acceptance criteria are clear and testable before work starts shows you see testing as a shift-left, quality-from-the-start activity, not just end-of-line verification.

EXAMPLE

Example scenario.

During backlog refinement, a story fails the Definition of Ready: its acceptance criteria are vague and untestable. The tester flags that there is no way to verify "the search should be better," so the team clarifies it into concrete, testable criteria before the sprint, avoiding mid-sprint rework and an untestable deliverable.

TIP

Interview tip.

Define the Definition of Ready as the criteria a story must meet before work starts (clear, estimated, small, dependencies known, and testable acceptance criteria), and contrast it with the Definition of Done (criteria to call work complete). Stress QA's shift-left role: ensuring acceptance criteria are clear and testable up front.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What is the difference between Definition of Ready and Definition of Done?

The Definition of Ready lists criteria a work item must meet before the team starts it (clear, estimated, testable acceptance criteria, dependencies known). The Definition of Done lists criteria for considering work complete (coded, tested, reviewed, documented). Ready gates the start; Done gates the finish.

What is QA's role in the Definition of Ready?

QA ensures stories are testable before work begins, that acceptance criteria are clear, specific, and verifiable, and that edge cases and ambiguities are surfaced early (often in the three-amigos conversation). This shift-left involvement prevents untestable stories and the rework that vague requirements cause.