What’s the difference between ‘measures of success’ and ‘definition of done’?

Here’s a question I was asked recently:

Hi Jock,

How would you describe ‘measures of success’ versus the ‘definition of done’? I’m trying to explain the difference simply to my team.

Thanks,

W

For me at least, the definition of done is when the output of the delivery team is complete. However, simply being ‘done’ (code tested, checked in, other usual housekeeping / hygiene tasks completed) gives no indication of whether it was the right thing to build in the first place. Nor does it help you determine whether it will achieve a successful outcome for the intended users.

Definition of done is a bit like doing the quality checks on a newly-published book. You can check there are no spelling errors, the cover art is the right way up and the pages don’t fall out, but it doesn’t tell you whether anyone will enjoy reading the content.

In contrast, the measure of success is a metric for whether the right outcome was achieved with the intended users. Did the product have the desired effect on the people using it? Were the users able to achieve what they were trying to with the product, as simply and easily as possible? Did they enjoy using the product (or, at least, were they neutral about it)?

Oddly, part of the measures for success might include successfully completing the tasks needed to satisfy the definition of done. You don’t just want to build the right thing, you want to build the thing right. If you’ve written the next potential New York Times bestseller but the book’s a mess of typos, shonky illustrations and poor book-binding, it will distract the reader somewhat from their enjoyment of the content.

Is that helpful or more confusing? :-)