Free definition of done checklist template
Write down what done means for your team once, then check every story against it. Tick each criterion as it's met and the sheet tells you which stories are really done, which step is missing next and how many points you actually finished. Sprint and release checks sit on their own tab so nothing gets forgotten at the end.
| Level | ID | Criterion | How to check | Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story | S1 | Acceptance criteria met | Walk through each acceptance criterion on the story and confirm it works as written | Must |
| Story | S2 | Code reviewed | At least one other developer has approved the pull request | Must |
| Story | S3 | Tests written and passing | New code has unit tests and the full test suite passes | Must |
| Story | S4 | Merged and build green | Merged to the main branch and the CI build passes | Must |
| Story | S5 | QA tested on staging | Tested on the staging site by someone who didn't write it | Must |
| Story | S6 | No open critical bugs | No critical or high bugs left open against this story | Must |
| Story | S7 | Docs updated | User help, API docs or the README changed where needed | Should |
| Story | S8 | Product owner accepted | The product owner has seen it working and accepted it | Must |
| Sprint | SP1 | Only stories meeting the story DoD count | Points done on the Summary tab include only stories marked Done | Must |
| Sprint | SP2 | Sprint demo held | Finished work shown to stakeholders in the sprint review | Must |
| Sprint | SP3 | Unfinished stories moved back to backlog | Stories that are not done go back to the backlog, not counted as done | Must |
| Sprint | SP4 | Regression tests pass | Automated regression suite passes on staging | Must |
| Sprint | SP5 | Retrospective held, actions logged | Team retro done with at least one action item and an owner | Should |
| Release | R1 | Release notes written | Customer-facing notes cover new features and fixes | Must |
| Release | R2 | Performance check passed | Key pages and APIs load within your agreed targets | Must |
| Release | R3 | Security scan clean | Dependency and security scans show no high or critical issues | Must |
| Release | R4 | Rollback plan ready | Steps to roll back are written down and someone knows how to do it | Must |
| Release | R5 | Support team briefed | Support knows what's changing and has answers for likely questions | Should |
| Story ID | Story | Owner | Points | AC met | Reviewed | Tests pass | Merged | QA tested | No bugs | Docs | PO accepted | Checks | Status | Next missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEB-101 | Password reset by email | Maya | 5 | 8 | Done | |||||||||
| WEB-102 | Show order history on account page | Ravi | 8 | 7 | 1 to go | Docs | ||||||||
| WEB-103 | Save cart between visits | Tom | 5 | 8 | Done | |||||||||
| WEB-104 | Add Apple Pay at checkout | Maya | 13 | 4 | 4 to go | QA tested | ||||||||
| WEB-105 | Fix tax rounding on invoices | Ravi | 2 | 8 | Done | |||||||||
| WEB-106 | Product filter by size | Tom | 5 | 2 | 6 to go | Tests pass | ||||||||
| WEB-107 | Low stock badge on product page | Ana | 3 | 8 | Done | |||||||||
| WEB-108 | Email receipt redesign | Ana | 5 | 6 | 2 to go | No bugs | ||||||||
| WEB-109 | Speed up search results | Ravi | 8 | 1 | 7 to go | Reviewed | ||||||||
| WEB-110 | Accessibility fixes on checkout | Tom | 3 | 7 | 1 to go | Docs | ||||||||
| WEB-111 | Gift card balance check | Maya | 3 | 0 | Not started | AC met | ||||||||
| WEB-112 | Update cookie banner text | Ana | 1 | 8 | Done |
| Done | Level | ID | Criterion | Checked by | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | SP1 | Only stories meeting the story DoD count | Ana | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| Sprint | SP2 | Sprint demo held | Maya | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| Sprint | SP3 | Unfinished stories moved back to backlog | Ravi | Nov 13, 2026 | |
| Sprint | SP4 | Regression tests pass | Tom | Nov 12, 2026 | |
| Sprint | SP5 | Retrospective held, actions logged | |||
| Release | R1 | Release notes written | Ana | Nov 12, 2026 | |
| Release | R2 | Performance check passed | Ravi | Nov 11, 2026 | |
| Release | R3 | Security scan clean | |||
| Release | R4 | Rollback plan ready | |||
| Release | R5 | Support team briefed |
| Criterion | Met | Not met | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance criteria met | 11 | 1 | 91.7% |
| Code reviewed | 10 | 2 | 83.3% |
| Tests written and passing | 9 | 3 | 75% |
| Merged and build green | 9 | 3 | 75% |
| QA tested on staging | 8 | 4 | 66.7% |
| No open critical bugs | 7 | 5 | 58.3% |
| Docs updated | 6 | 6 | 50% |
| Product owner accepted | 7 | 5 | 58.3% |
| Stories in sprint | 12 | ||
| Stories done | 5 | 41.7% | |
| Points committed | 61 | ||
| Points done | 16 | 26.2% | |
| Sprint checks done | 4 | 1 | 80% |
| Release checks done | 2 | 3 | 40% |
What's inside
- 18 starter criteria across three levels: story, sprint and release, each with a plain how-to-check note
- A story checklist with a tick box per criterion and a status that only says Done when every box is ticked
- A Next missing column that names the first unmet criterion for each story
- Points committed vs points really done, so half-finished work doesn't count
- A summary showing which criteria get skipped most often
- Sprint and release checks that pull their wording from your Definition of Done tab
How to use it
Make your copy
Click "Make a copy" to save the template to your Google Drive, or download the Excel file. The sample is a web shop team's sprint.
Agree on your criteria
Edit the Definition of Done tab with your team. Keep it short enough that people actually check it. Mark each item Must or Should.
Match the story columns
The Story Checklist has eight tick box columns for the eight story criteria. If you rename a story criterion, rename its column header to match.
Add your sprint's stories
Enter each story's ID, title, owner and points. Tick boxes as each criterion is met during the sprint.
Check before the review
Before the sprint review, look at the Status and Next missing columns. Only stories marked Done count toward the points done on the Summary tab.
Run the sprint and release checks
Tick the Sprint and Release tab at the end of each sprint and before each release, with who checked it and when.
Tips
Make it visible
Pin the sheet in your team chat or link it from your board. A definition of done nobody looks at doesn't help.
Review it in retros
If the Summary shows the same criterion missed sprint after sprint, talk about why. It may need a tool, more time or a clearer wording.
Done is not the same as acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria are specific to one story. The definition of done applies to every story. You need both.
Start a fresh tab each sprint
Duplicate the Story Checklist tab and name it for the sprint, so you keep a record of past sprints.
Questions
What is a definition of done?
It's a shared checklist a team agrees on that every piece of work must meet before it counts as done. It usually covers code review, testing, merging, documentation and sign-off. It keeps everyone honest about what finished really means.
What should a definition of done include?
Common items are acceptance criteria met, code reviewed, tests written and passing, merged with a green build, tested on staging, no open critical bugs, docs updated and product owner acceptance. This template starts with those and you can change any of them.
What's the difference between definition of done and acceptance criteria?
Acceptance criteria describe what one story must do, like "user gets a reset email within a minute". The definition of done is the quality bar every story must pass, like "code reviewed" and "tests pass".
Should there be different levels of done?
Many teams have one list for stories, a short one for the end of each sprint and another for releases. This template has all three so release tasks like rollback plans don't get mixed into every story.
Can I use it with Jira or another tool?
Yes. Paste or export your sprint's story IDs and titles into the Story Checklist. Many teams keep the checklist in a sheet like this and link it from their board.
Can I add more criteria?
Yes. Add a row on the Definition of Done tab. For a new story criterion, also insert a tick box column on the Story Checklist and update the 8 in the Checks and Status formulas.
Pro version
Definition of Done Pro
Write your team's Definition of Done once, tick every story against it, and track quality sprint by sprint.
Write your Definition of Done once
Set up to 12 story criteria on Setup, each with a short name, the full wording, how to check it and Must or Should. The Stories columns rename themselves to match.
Done means done
A story only shows Done when every Must is ticked. Next missing names the first gap, and Shoulds that get skipped are counted, not hidden.
Quality sprint by sprint
Sprints works out stories and points done, say/do, points carried over, DoD checks met and bugs found after done for every sprint.
See what gets skipped
The Dashboard shows which criteria are missed most, this sprint and across all sprints, so your retro has something real to talk about.
Sprint and release checks
Tick the once-a-sprint checks, like the demo, regression suite and release steps, in one grid with a pass rate per sprint.
A page for the review
Sprint Report shows the sprint's goal, numbers, every story's status and the sprint checks on one printable page, with space for retro notes.
| Free | Pro |
|---|---|
| 18 starter criteria, 8 tick boxes per story | Up to 12 story criteria you write, plus sprint and release checks |
| One sprint at a time | Every sprint, with a sprint picker |
| Points committed vs done | Say/do, carry-over and DoD checks met per sprint |
| Most-skipped criteria | Most missed this sprint and across all sprints |
| · | Bugs found after done, per sprint |
| · | Dashboard with three trend charts |
| · | Printable sprint report with retro notes |
$19 one-time
7 tabs: Start Here, Dashboard, Stories, Sprints, Sprint Checks, Sprint Report and Setup. You get two copies: one filled in with a sample team's ten sprints so you can see it working, and a blank one ready for your own.
Get Definition of Done Pro for $19- Instant download after checkout
- Works in Google Sheets and Excel
- Yours to keep and reuse every year