During Planning how to meet project objectives in Agile

Beatriz, the essence of Agile is to inspect and adapt continuously, so it’s better for the team to ensure each user story has a clear Definition of Done (DoD). This approach supports ongoing validation, builds quality into the process, and aligns with Agile principles like early and frequent delivery of working software.

Relying on a final quality review at the end defers feedback, increases risk, and resembles traditional waterfall methods, which Agile aims to avoid.

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This is a great question and one that gets to the heart of Agile delivery mindset.

Agile principles clearly favor the first approach: defining a clear Definition of Done (DoD) for each user story and validating completion continuously.

Why? Because Agile is built on:
- Early and continuous delivery of value
- Short feedback loops that reduce risk and rework
- Built-in quality, not inspected quality
- Shared understanding of what "done" truly means

In contrast, planning only a final review or checkpoint tends to reflect a waterfall mindset, where feedback is delayed, and problems may surface too late to fix efficiently.

You can start by reviewing your team’s current Definition of Done:
- Is it explicit, shared, and used as a reference in every sprint?
- Does it include functional, non-functional, and quality criteria?
- Are stakeholders aware of it and aligned with it?

If not, co-create or refine your DoD with the team and stakeholders, and integrate it as a living artifact in planning and retrospectives. This alone can transform how quality is delivered and perceived, sprint by sprint.

What ultimately aligns with Agile isn’t just continuous delivery, but continuous validation and continuous learning.

Quick clarification on my earlier comment and thank you to those who pointed out the distinction.

I realize I may have created some confusion by saying “each user story should have a clear Definition of Done (DoD).” That’s not accurate in strict Agile terms.

- Correction:
Each user story should have its own Acceptance Criteria, which define the specific functional expectations and business value for that story.
The Definition of Done (DoD) is a shared team agreement, applied across all stories and increments, ensuring consistent quality and delivery readiness.

- Think of it this way:
Acceptance Criteria = the “contract” for that individual story (what must be true for the Product Owner to accept it)
Definition of Done = the team’s “quality gate” (what ensures the work meets agreed standards and is potentially shippable)

Importantly: a user story is only considered truly done when it meets both its individual Acceptance Criteria and the team’s shared Definition of Done.
This dual check guarantees that we deliver the right thing, the right way.

Thanks again for highlighting this important nuance.
These conversations are what sharpen our Agile practice and help teams avoid costly misunderstandings.

Always learning
And grateful to be part of a community that values clarity, rigor, and continuous improvement.

One thing to watch out for in Study Hall is that "agile" does not always equate to "Scrum" and there are things you can do on an other-agile or hybrid project that you wouldn't do on a Scrum project.

The Agile approach emphasizes continuous validation, so ensuring each user story has a clear Definition of Done is key. This keeps quality built in throughout the process rather than checked at the end. It also promotes transparency and shared accountability within the team.