Definition of “Done”

My definition of “done”

My husband has drilled this into me for over 14 years. I got the lingo all those years ago but not the concept.

As a wife and a dog owner there is never a “definition of done.” There’s always meals to be prepared, a dog to be taken out (OK, Zoe’s poop might be somewhat of a definition of done, yes it’s picked up every time), a home to keep clean and endless laundry, of course.

There was a time when legislators would vote yea on a bill I wrote. I slept well those days. Now I’m worried about bills, husband, dog and more.

In agile, there is a definition of done. You can have sticky notes or a kanban board or white board. You go through the steps until the project is completed. My project is never complete. Even with the home, laundry and cooking I’ve a husband and dog to love. If my job were done, they’d both be gone and that would be too sad. Let’s throw out the definition of done, for me right now. I’ll have to learn to live in the moment and deal with daily impediments. Think of me as an old running back (no, not OJ), running for a touchdown for my family every day. That’ll have to be my definition of done. On to taxes! Cheers, Dee