Definition of Done vs Acceptance Criteria (and Why Your Team Needs Both)

Key Takeaways

• A Definition of Done is a shared set of criteria a team uses to decide when work is complete, meets agreed quality standards, and is ready to be released, handed off, or reviewed.
• For marketing teams, a Definition of Done helps clarify when campaigns, content assets, emails, landing pages, and marketing operations requests are truly finished.
• A clear Definition of Done reduces rework, prevents subjective debates about whether something is complete, and keeps unfinished work from moving forward too early.
• The Definition of Done should be created and owned by the team doing the work, with input from stakeholders whose expectations affect whether work is ready to move forward.
• Definition of Done and acceptance criteria work together. The Definition of Done applies more broadly across the team’s work, while acceptance criteria define what a specific item must include.
• Marketing teams should keep their Definition of Done simple, visible, and easy to apply across the workflow.
• A useful Definition of Done should evolve over time as the team’s work, channels, quality standards, and stakeholder expectations change.
• When Definition of Done and acceptance criteria are used consistently, Agile marketing teams can improve flow, quality, predictability, and stakeholder trust.

Have you ever had to move a card out of the “done” column because it turns out it wasn’t actually finished? Or have you checked something off your to-do list and finished up your day only to later learn the work wasn’t completed?

Whether you're part of an Agile team or a traditional one, you absolutely need the ability to determine when a piece of work is actually done.

That’s where the Definition of Done comes in. A Definition of Done is a shared set of criteria a team uses to decide when work is complete, meets agreed quality standards, and is ready to be released, handed off, or reviewed.

For marketing teams, this might mean confirming that a campaign, content asset, email, landing page, or marketing operations request has met the team’s agreed standards before it moves forward. It gives everyone the same answer to a deceptively simple question: what does “done” actually mean here?

In other words, when is it ready to be released into the wild and create value for your customers? Answering that question is a critical step towards better prioritization, less unplanned work, and ultimately creating a truly effective Agile marketing team.

Without a shared Definition of Done, work can move forward too early, come back for avoidable rework, or create confusion between the team, stakeholders, and downstream collaborators. With one in place, “done” becomes less subjective and much easier to apply consistently.

Starting with Two Questions

For marketing teams in particular, the answer to this crucial question typically comes in two parts.

First, there's agreement on when the team has created a viable piece of marketing collateral. When we achieve this alignment, we can prevent over-processing, a type of waste that's generated when we spend too much time on simple assignments.

Then there's clarity about when something is shippable, either to the end customer or to a different team. This half of the equation creates much-needed consistency in the marketing process and delivers higher-quality campaigns. 

With both of these halves in place, “done” shouldn’t be a matter of perspective. But when one or both halves of that equation are off, teams can end up fruitlessly spinning.

Operating without a clear definition of done is especially harmful to Agile teams that work in short time-boxed iterations and commit to specific deliverables for each one. Every return of a marketing asset for additional processing risks delaying its delivery and disrupting the whole workflow.

In an Agile environment, teams use two complementary tools to define what finished work looks like (definition of done) and create a checklist for each item that passes through the process (acceptance criteria). 

Using both together creates a consistent flow of work through the Agile marketing team, and gives the team confidence that their work will be acceptable to stakeholders or other teams. Here are some tips on bringing both of these powerful tools together to strengthen your team's process even further.

The Definition of Done in Agile Marketing

The definition of done in Agile is a set of conditions that the team must meet before a marketing campaign, program, user story or, on a more granular level, task can be considered complete.

Establishing a definition of done and achieving mutual understanding of it across the whole team is crucial for ensuring that we're consistently delivering high-value, impactful marketing work.

Having a clear definition of done reduces the need for rework, most Agile teams’ worst nightmare.

A consistently applied definition of done becomes a kind of gate that separates work items from being "in progress" to being considered "done."

Unfortunately, definitions of done are not one size fits all; each team has to develop their own. 

That said, here's an example checklist for content-centric marketing work:

• All deliverables follow brand guidelines
• All deliverables were proof-read
• All deliverables were spell-checked
• All deliverables were peer-reviewed
• All acceptance criteria were met

When creating a definition of done, try to add universal items that are applicable to any type of marketing deliverable.

Once we have a general definition of done in place, we can start thinking about acceptance criteria. These drill down into aspects of the definition of done that are more specific to individual work items.

Before proceeding to learn about the acceptance criteria in Agile marketing, take a moment to explore The Agile Marketing Credo — the new foundation for how modern marketers work with clarity, focus, and impact. 

Who Creates and Owns the Definition of Done

The Definition of Done should be created and owned by the team doing the work. In marketing, that usually means the people responsible for planning, creating, reviewing, launching, and measuring the work should all have a voice in defining what “done” means.

That does not mean stakeholders are excluded. Marketing leaders, channel owners, brand reviewers, sales partners, product marketing, legal, compliance, or other teams may need to help shape the Definition of Done when their expectations affect whether work is truly ready to move forward.

However, the Definition of Done should not be handed down by one manager or stakeholder in isolation. If the people doing the work do not understand, trust, or realistically support the criteria, the definition will be ignored, worked around, or treated as another approval hurdle.

The best Definition of Done works as a shared agreement. It reflects the quality standards the team is responsible for meeting, the expectations stakeholders depend on, and the practical realities of how marketing work actually gets delivered.

Once created, the team should keep ownership of the Definition of Done over time. That means reviewing it when work keeps coming back for rework, when stakeholders reject items the team considered complete, when new channels or workflows are introduced, or when the team’s quality standards change.

Why Definition of Done Matters for Marketing Teams

Marketing work often moves through many hands before it reaches the audience. A campaign may involve strategy, copy, design, approvals, landing pages, email, paid media, marketing operations, analytics, sales input, and stakeholder review. Without a shared Definition of Done, every handoff becomes an opportunity for confusion.

For Agile marketing teams, the Definition of Done matters because it creates a common quality standard. It helps the team understand what must be true before work can move forward, whether that work is a blog article, campaign asset, email, landing page, webinar promotion, or marketing operations request.

When teams use a clear Definition of Done, they can reduce:

• Rework caused by unclear expectations
• Subjective debates about whether something is finished
• Last-minute stakeholder surprises
• Work moving forward before it is ready
• Quality issues that slow down delivery later
• Unplanned work created by unfinished or incomplete items
• Confusion between the team and downstream collaborators

It also helps teams protect flow. If work keeps moving backward from “done” to “in progress,” the team loses time, focus, and predictability. A shared Definition of Done creates a consistent gate that helps prevent premature completion and keeps the workflow healthier.

This is especially important in short Agile cycles. When teams plan work in sprints or manage flow through Kanban, they need confidence that completed work is truly complete. Otherwise, each “done” item may carry hidden follow-up work that disrupts the next cycle.

Ultimately, the Definition of Done helps marketing teams deliver with more clarity, consistency, and trust. It gives the team, stakeholders, and collaborators a shared understanding of what finished work should look like before it leaves the team’s hands.

Acceptance Criteria in Agile Marketing

Acceptance criteria are definitions of done on a smaller, more specific scale. 

Much like their more general cousin, the definition of done, acceptance criteria come in the form of a checklist that needs to be completed before labeling a deliverable as done. However, the acceptance criteria are unique for every work item or user story that passes through the marketing workflow.

They typically cover specific use cases and parameters that the team must meet to ensure the quality of a piece of marketing work. The goal of defining acceptance criteria is to clarify specifically what we expect the team to deliver for each granular work item, like a task or user story.

For example, a list of acceptance criteria for a blog article might feature the following requirements:

• The copy is between 1500-2000 words long
• The copy is optimized to rank for the keyword “X”
• Each subheading is no longer than 300 words
• There is one graphic per 500 words in the body of the article
• The conclusion ends with a call to action redirecting readers to product page “Y”

When we meet the acceptance criteria for the article, we proceed to check each of the remaining items that comprise our definition of done. Then, if we’ve met the specific and general criteria, this work item can move to completion.

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Applying Definitions of Done and Acceptance Criteria Together

Both definition of done and acceptance criteria support a healthy team process in different ways. They approach the problems that a lack of clarity creates from two different angles. 

Definitions of done ensure we're creating value based on customer expectations (brand consistency, no spelling mistakes, etc.), while acceptance criteria guarantee that we're able to consistently produce high-quality work.

In combination, these explicit policies improve the team’s efficiency and the quality of their deliverables. They create a system of steps that the team follows every time they begin and finish new work.

Before moving on to learning the definition of "done", why don't you take a second to grab our Agile Marketing Quick Start Guide?

Defining Completion For Your Team's Work

Follow these three simple steps to prepare a definition of done and acceptance criteria for your marketing process.

Step 1: As a team, define DONE on a process and task level

Although it may seem like a huge time investment to involve the team in defining what makes a marketing deliverable done, the return is well worth it. Without input from the marketing team, it’s nearly impossible to create a definition that can be applied to all of the different types of work passing through the process.

Even worse, without input from the group, the definition of done may face internal resistance as it does not reflect the opinions of those closest to the work.

It's imperative for the definition of done to be available to everyone, and the reasoning behind each requirement to be transparent. This way, it becomes clear why work might be held up and what needs to be done to move it forward.

Step 2: Keep it simple

Drafting a long list of requirements is not the most effective way to ensure consistency and quality in the marketing process through acceptance criteria and definition of done. Try to keep the definitions as succinct as possible, so that even a new team member can easily follow the requirements and understand their intention.

Stick to the golden rule: the definition of done must cover the minimum work required to meet our expected quality level.

Since the definition we create is not set in stone, we can always come back to revise and update it if need be. In fact, evolving it over time to reflect the team’s current reality is recommended.

Step 3: Visualize the criteria for finished work

Finalize the definition of done and acceptance criteria by making them visible to everyone on the team.

Once there's agreement on the conditions that it includes, our goal should be to apply it consistently to every task, campaign, or marketing program that passes through the process.

There are several visualization methods you can apply:

• Putting the definition of done on display as a separate process phase visualized through columns on your team’s Kanban boards
• Visualizing the conditions as a checklist on every ticket we create on the boards
• Listing them under the Done column of your boards

When we have the definition of done visible all the time, the team is going to be continuously reminded of the steps they need to follow to ensure stellar delivery of marketing value. This will reduce the chance of skipping a condition or two when they're in a rush. 

The greatest benefit of visualizing the definition of done and the acceptance criteria for each item is standardizing best practices and creating clarity on a process scale as well as task scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Definition of Done?

The Definition of Done is a shared set of criteria a team uses to decide when work is complete, meets agreed quality standards, and is ready to be released, handed off, or reviewed.

What is the Definition of Done in Agile marketing?

In Agile marketing, the Definition of Done helps a team decide when marketing work is truly complete. This could apply to a campaign, blog article, email, landing page, webinar promotion, marketing operations request, or any other work item moving through the team’s process.

Why does Definition of Done matter for marketing teams?

Definition of Done matters because marketing work often moves through many people, tools, and approval steps. A shared Definition of Done reduces rework, prevents confusion, improves quality, and gives the team and stakeholders a common understanding of what finished work should look like.

Who creates the Definition of Done?

The Definition of Done should be created and owned by the team doing the work. Stakeholders such as marketing leaders, brand reviewers, product marketing, sales, legal, compliance, or channel owners may also provide input when their expectations affect whether work is ready to move forward.

What should be included in a marketing Definition of Done?

A marketing Definition of Done should include universal quality standards that apply across the team’s work. These might include brand alignment, proofreading, spell-checking, peer review, stakeholder review, required links or tracking, accessibility checks, and confirmation that acceptance criteria have been met.

What is the difference between Definition of Done and acceptance criteria?

The Definition of Done applies broadly across the team’s work and describes the quality standards that must be met before something is complete. Acceptance criteria are specific to an individual work item and define what that particular deliverable must include to be accepted.

Can different types of marketing work have different Definitions of Done?

Yes, but teams should avoid making the process overly complicated. Many teams use one general Definition of Done for universal quality standards, then use acceptance criteria or smaller checklists for specific work types like blog articles, emails, landing pages, campaigns, or marketing operations requests.

How often should a marketing team update its Definition of Done?

A marketing team should revisit its Definition of Done whenever work keeps coming back for rework, stakeholders reject items the team considered complete, new channels or workflows are introduced, or the team’s quality standards change. Retrospectives are a natural place to review and improve it.

Are You Done?

Now that you’re equipped with everything you need to get a definition of done and acceptance criteria set on your team, what's next? Fortunately, there are tons of other ways you can improve your Agile marketing team’s performance. 

Our online learning platform The Ropes is full of courses designed to empower Agile marketers to improve their abilities to deliver more value than ever. Check it out and see how you can take your marketing to the next level. Or, you can accelerate your Agile journey even more with Agile marketing coaching. The choice is yours!

Before moving on, don't forget to get your Agile Marketing Quick Start Guide.