Explanation
According to the Agile Alliance1, the definition of done (DoD) is a set of criteria that a product increment must meet for the team to consider it complete and ready for customers. It is a shared understanding among the team members of when a product increment is ready for release, even when the increment is large and consists of many items. By clearly defining what "done" means to the project, an agile team can focus on delivering value with every sprint and minimizing rework. It is important to note that one person does not create the Definition of Done.Instead, it is agreed upon by the entire project team, including developers, testers, product owners, and other stakeholders. This ensures a smoother process during sprints since everyone is using the DoD as a guide alongside any checklists before marking an item as complete.
The PMBOK Guide - Seventh Edition2 also mentions the DoD as a key concept in agile development. It states that the DoD helps to ensure that tasks are thoroughly planned and thought through and that the final product meets the required standards of quality. The PMBOK Guide - Seventh Edition will now be a reference to inform the development of the exam items. However, before any validated exam item is added to the exam, there is a very rigorous and thorough review and field test cycle3.
Therefore, the best option for the project manager to do in this scenario is to help the team create the DoD to improve delivery quality. This will help the team to identify and address the issues that are affecting the code quality and prevent future rework. Comparing the cost of improving quality against the cost of failure and adjusting the budget (option A) may not be feasible or effective in an agile environment, where changes are frequent and unpredictable. Adding testing items to the backlog to assess quality periodically (option C) may not solve the root cause of the problem and may delay the delivery of value to the customers. Expanding the team in order to improve the quality of the project (option D) may not be a viable solution either, as it may introduce communication and coordination challenges and increase the complexity of the project.
References: 1: What is the Definition of Done? Understanding DOD in Agile - Atlassian 2: PMBOK Guide
- Seventh Edition | Project Management Institute 3: PMP Exam Prep | PMI - Project Management Institute