Definition of ready
A definition of ready is a team's agreed checklist that a backlog item must meet before a sprint takes it in. It is a team practice and is not in the Scrum Guide, which names a Definition of Done but no readiness gate. Typical entries are a clear story, agreed acceptance criteria and an estimate.
The longer version
A typical list is short. The story is written from a user's side, the acceptance criteria are agreed, the team has estimated it, its dependencies are known and it is small enough for one sprint. Each line answers a question that would otherwise surface halfway through the sprint, when a developer finds the criteria missing or the design not yet delivered.
The Scrum Guide's wording is looser. It says Product Backlog items that the Scrum Team can finish within one Sprint are deemed ready for selection in Sprint Planning, and it leaves the route there to refinement. A formal checklist is a team's own addition to that, and each team decides which lines earn a place.
The definition of done sits at the other end of the sprint and applies to everything the team finishes, whereas readiness applies to what comes in. Acceptance criteria belong to one item, so 'criteria agreed' is usually a single line on the ready list and the criteria themselves live on the story.
Read as a hard gate, the checklist can turn into a hand-off between product owner and developers. An item bounces back for a missing field while the real misunderstanding survives untouched. The list is worth keeping while it starts a conversation about the item, and worth trimming once it replaces one.
Common questions
What is the difference between definition of ready and definition of done?
The definition of ready is the checklist an item meets before the team takes it into a sprint. The definition of done is the standing checklist an item meets before it counts as finished. Readiness guards the start of the work and done guards the end.
Is the definition of ready part of Scrum?
The Scrum Guide does not include a definition of ready, though it does define the Definition of Done as a commitment. Many teams keep a readiness checklist anyway, as their own working agreement.
What should a definition of ready include?
Common entries are a story written from the user's side, agreed acceptance criteria, an estimate, known dependencies and a size that fits one sprint. Each team keeps the lines that stop its own recurring surprises and drops the rest.
Who owns the definition of ready?
The whole team agrees it, with the product owner and the developers each holding a say, because it governs a hand-over between them. The team revisits it in retrospectives and removes lines that no longer prevent a problem.
Can a story enter a sprint when it is not ready?
A team may take it in when the missing piece is small and the risk is low, such as a wording detail that can be settled during the sprint. The exception is then stated at planning, with a note of who will close the gap.
Bug reports that arrive ready to triage.
Collect replay, console, network and browser context with the Free plan.