Outcome & Quality Anchoring
Done means sustainable — not just complete
The Definition of Done (DoD) clarifies when work is considered complete.
In a sustainable context, it ensures that outcomes are not only functional — but viable, responsible, and resilient over time.
This anchor transforms sustainability from intent into reality.
It provides a shared, inspectable standard that every Increment must meet — across ecological, economic, and social dimensions.
Sustainability is not an optional add-on. It becomes part of what “done” means.
Anchoring Quality in Delivery
The DoD acts as a contract between team, stakeholders, and users.
By embedding sustainability directly into this contract, teams commit to deliver value that holds up — technically, ethically, and environmentally.
- Ecological: Low energy consumption, efficient infrastructure, optimized usage
- Economic: Maintainable, scalable, low in technical debt and operational cost
- Social: Inclusive, accessible, and developed in a healthy, sustainable way
Each Increment is evaluated not only by what it achieves — but how it impacts the world around it.
Embedding Sustainability in the Definition of Done
Rather than adding a separate checklist, sustainability becomes part of existing quality standards.
Each “done” item meets one or more sustainability requirements from all three dimensions.
Ecological
- Code avoids unnecessary computation and redundancy
- Network and database use are optimized to reduce load and energy
- Performance meets thresholds for low resource consumption
- Infrastructure choices consider energy efficiency and carbon impact
Economic
- Code is clean, documented, and maintainable
- Architecture supports future scaling without costly refactoring
- Technical debt is addressed — not deferred
- Operational costs are minimized by smart design choices
Social
- Interfaces meet accessibility standards (e.g. WCAG)
- Features are fair and inclusive across user groups
- Development respects healthy pacing and team wellbeing
- UX is respectful, efficient, and avoids manipulation or overload
From Checklist to Culture
A sustainable DoD does more than validate outputs — it shapes how teams work:
- Accountability: All team members own sustainable delivery
- Clarity: Everyone knows what “good” looks like
- Improvement: Quality grows through regular inspection and learning
The DoD becomes an internal compass — guiding quality decisions in every Sprint.
Connecting to Strategy
A sustainable Definition of Done operationalizes strategic goals — such as emissions reduction, cost efficiency, or accessibility — at the team level.
For example:
- Goal: Reduce cloud energy by 10%
- DoD: Feature meets defined performance and infrastructure benchmarks
This ensures that sustainability doesn’t stop at intent — it becomes enforceable through shared standards.
KPIs and Inspectability
A Definition of Done only adds value if it is inspectable and used consistently.
Sustainability-focused DoDs can be measured and improved over time.
Ecological
- Average energy use per action or request
- Load time and infrastructure footprint
Economic
- Reduced technical debt per iteration
- Maintenance effort and refactoring frequency
Social
- Accessibility test scores and audits
- Team satisfaction with sustainable working practices
Final Note
Outcome & Quality Anchoring transforms sustainability into a living part of product quality.
By expanding the Definition of Done, teams deliver outcomes that last — for the product, the organization, and the planet.
Sustainability in Green Agile is implemented without adding new meetings.
Instead, it is integrated into common Agile events. This ensures adoption is smooth, lightweight, and compatible with frameworks like Scrum, SAFe or Kanban.