Answering: “The Definition of Done serves which three purposes?” (PSPO I)

The Definition of Done increases transparency, gives everyone a shared understanding of when work is complete, and helps the Developers judge how much they can take on in a Sprint. It does not describe the Scrum events, and it never accepts work that is only “mostly” done.

Exam Question

The Definition of Done serves which three purposes?
(choose the best three answers)
A. Increase transparency.
B. Create a shared understanding of when work is complete.
C. Describe the work that must be mostly done before the Sprint is allowed to end.
D. Guide the Developers on how many Product Backlog items to select for the Sprint.
E. Describe the purpose, objective, and timebox of each Scrum event.

Correct Answer

A, B and D.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Scrum Guide says the Definition of Done “creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment.” That covers A and B directly. For D, the Guide notes that the more the Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts. A demanding Definition of Done means each item takes more work to finish, so it shapes how many items the Developers select during Sprint Planning.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

C. Describe work that must be mostly done before the Sprint can end. Done is binary. An item either meets the Definition of Done or it returns to the Product Backlog. Also, a Sprint ends when its timebox expires, not when work reaches some level.

E. Describe the purpose, objective and timebox of each Scrum event. The Scrum Guide itself describes the events. The Definition of Done describes the quality state of the Increment.

Exam Tip

Watch for softening words like “mostly” or “almost” next to Done. Scrum has no partial Done, so those options are almost always wrong.

Key Takeaways

• The Definition of Done is the shared meaning of complete.
• It makes the real state of the Increment transparent.
• It affects how much work the Developers forecast for a Sprint.