Agile Definition of Ready Template for Confluence

A definition of ready is what agile teams use to measure whether or not an idea for a feature is ready for development.

Want to use our Agile Definition of Ready Template? Simply install Mosaic for Confluence and choose it from the Confluence templates library.

Once you've installed Mosaic, follow these steps:

Create a new page or live doc in Confluence, then click All templates from the bottom menu.
Click on the templates search bar and type ‘Mosaic’.
Select the ‘Agile Definition of Ready’ template to get started, or hover over it for a preview.

This Definition of Ready Template is part of the Jon Kern Agile Framework: a set of ten templates filled with expert advice and guidance to help your team master agile work. To learn more about Jon Kern and the Agile Manifesto, and to see the rest of the templates in this framework, head to the Jon Kern Agile Framework Hub.

What is a definition of ready?

A definition of ready (DoR) is an agreed checklist that spells out the minimum conditions a piece of work must meet before the team pulls it into development, ensuring everyone has enough clarity and context to get started without constant rework, surprises, or time wasted on the wrong features.

A colourful, stylised image of a checklist

Why does your team need a definition of ready?

When features meet a clear definition of ready, teams spend less time going back for missing details, clarifications, or decisions, and more time actually delivering value.

A colourful, stylised image of a rocket launching

By only pulling in work that is genuinely ready, your team protects its throughput and avoids half‑started items clogging the board, making planning and forecasting more reliable.

A shared definition of ready takes the heat off individual people by making the rules explicit, so debates about whether something is ‘ready’ feel fair and consistent rather than personal.

A colourful, stylised image of two dogs running alongside each other and sharing a stick

When features meet a clear definition of ready, teams spend less time going back for missing details, clarifications, or decisions, and more time actually delivering value.

By only pulling in work that is genuinely ready, your team protects its throughput and avoids half‑started items clogging the board, making planning and forecasting more reliable.

A shared definition of ready takes the heat off individual people by making the rules explicit, so debates about whether something is ‘ready’ feel fair and consistent rather than personal.

When features meet a clear definition of ready, teams spend less time going back for missing details, clarifications, or decisions, and more time actually delivering value.

By only pulling in work that is genuinely ready, your team protects its throughput and avoids half‑started items clogging the board, making planning and forecasting more reliable.

A shared definition of ready takes the heat off individual people by making the rules explicit, so debates about whether something is ‘ready’ feel fair and consistent rather than personal.

What elements should a definition of ready include?

Guidance for collaboration

Collaboration is a key part of any effective definition of ready. Whether you discuss in a meeting or asynchronously, several people from different teams have to be involved to ensure all points are covered.

Our template provides guidance on who should be involved and their activities in a collapsible section, so readers can refer back whenever they need, without cluttering the page.

A screenshot of the 'Roles that engage' collapsible section of the Agile Definition of Ready Template

Checklist and details

Check that your feature has everything it needs to be considered ready with a checklist. Use the checklist provided in our template, tweak it as necessary, or replace it with one of your own if (for example) your requirements aren't so technical.

Make sure your team can find the information they need when something’s checked off the list by adding links and context for each checklist item to the tabs below.

A screenshot of the 'Checklist' and 'Details of checklist items' sections of the Agile DoR Template, showing a tip from Jon Kern

The INVEST framework

Another good way to check that a feature is well-defined and ready for development is by following the INVEST framework by Bill Wake, which stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. When your feature meets all of these descriptors, it should be ready for development.

Our template covers the questions your team need to ask themselves to decide if the feature is ready according to the INVEST framework.

A screenshot of the 'INVEST' section of the Agile Definition of Ready Template

Next in the Jon Kern Agile Framework

This Definition of Ready Template is the fifth template of the Jon Kern Agile Framework. Click the button below to see the next template in this set, or head to the Jon Kern Agile Framework Hub to see them all.

See the Agile Sprint Goal Template