Who does the work to make sure Product Backlog items conform to the Definition of Done? (choose the best answer)

The Scrum Guide explicitly assigns the accountability for quality to the Developers. They are responsible for creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. This responsibility includes performing all the work necessary to ensure that Product Backlog Items meet the quality standards articulated in the Definition of Done (DoD). The DoD is the Scrum Team's formal commitment to quality for the Increment. Therefore, the Developers, who build the Increment, are the ones who perform the coding, testing, integration, and other tasks required to conform to the DoD.

A. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value and managing the Product Backlog, not for performing the technical work required to meet the Definition of Done.
B. The Scrum framework does not have a separate "Quality Assurance Team." Quality is a shared responsibility, and the Developers perform the work to ensure it is built in.
C. While the entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable Increment, the question asks who does the work. The Developers are the specific members who perform this hands-on work.
E. The Scrum Master is a coach and facilitator, accountable for the Scrum Team's effectiveness. They do not perform the development work to meet the Definition of Done.

1. Schwaber

K.

& Sutherland

J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org.

On the Developers' role and accountability: "The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint... The Developers are always accountable for: ... Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done." (p. 6).

On the Definition of Done as a commitment: "The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product." (p. 9).

2. Hohl

P.

Klünder

J.

van der Valk

A.

& Gorschek

T. (2018). A survey on the state of the art of the definition of done in agile software development. In International Conference on Agile Software Development (pp. 179-194). Springer

Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91612-212

This academic paper reinforces that the "development team" (the Developers in the 2020 Scrum Guide) is responsible for ensuring that their work meets the criteria set in the Definition of Done before it can be considered complete. (Section 2

"Background").