When do you know that you have enough details in your Story to start the Dev work?
Do we really need all the little details defined before we start the build?
The Definition of Ready helps to answer those 2 questions.
Having an idea of a definition of ready can help everyone on the team better understand what is required for the Dev Team to feel confident that they can successfully deliver the user story.
For me a definition of ready would look as follow:
A Conversation has happened
We had a conversation about the story and the AC. Event if it’s a 2min chat. I usually have regular meetings with my Product Owner to review multiples stories. So even if a story seems simple, take 2 minutes to have discuss it with your Product Owner, explain how you understood it and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Acceptance Criteria are defined and understood
Make sure Acceptance Criteria (AC) are defined and understood by the Business Analyst, Product Owner and Dev Team. You might ask why would the AC not be clear to the Business Analyst or the Product Owner in the first instance?
Don’t assume it’s the case as I have been on project with multiple Subject Matter Experts (SME) and Business Analyst helping the Product owner and all collaborating together because of the large size of the project. An SME might update one of the AC (or propose additional AC in the discussion section), while the Business Analyst or the Product Owner don’t really understand what those mean. So make sure that the AC are clear to everyone.
The Story and each AC have been demonstrated or Prototyped if possible. For every single AC I would typically show how that would work in D365 or ask clarifying questions showing it in D365.
If the AC can’t be met by standard features in Dynamics 365 or the Power Platform I would prototype something and show it to my Product Owner the next time I have the occasion to discuss with her/him. Or I would use a Whiteboard (can be virtual) to mimic a screen or a process to make sure we understand each other.
Story can be estimated and tested
I would usually ask my team to estimate the story in Story Points as a test to see if everyone has a similar understanding of the complexity.
I would also ask my tester to review the AC and let me know if he or she feels confident that they have enough details to write the Test scenarios.
The Product Owner has approved the story and AC
Finally, the Product Owner has reviewed and approved the Story. This drives ownership and ensure that the Product Owner will check with her/his SME’s and Business Analyst to make sure that everyone is on the same page.