Definition of Done

Before you start, agree what "done" actually means – not just that the work happened, but the specific, checkable state that counts as finished. Without this, work quietly drifts: something gets shipped that technically matches the ask but misses the point, or two people disagree about whether an issue is closeable. A clear definition of done heads that off before it happens. In practice this is the acceptance criteria on an issue – written down before the work starts, not negotiated after the fact.