Definition of Ready + Definition of Done

You write DoR + DoD so the team has shared language for "ready to commit" and "ready to ship". The aim is honest quality, not bureaucracy — short lists people actually use beat long lists they ignore.

Core rules

• DoR is pre-commit, DoD is post-build — different gates
• DoD is per-level — story DoD differs from sprint DoD differs from release DoD
• Short + enforced > long + ignored — 5–8 items per list is the sweet spot
• Acceptance criteria belong to the story — DoD is about the increment
• Exceptions require waiver — named approver + expiry + revisit
• No fabricated org policies — work from team context
• Not a test plan — hand off testing detail to test-strategy-plan / non-functional-test-planning

Input handling