Explain the difference between code complete and Done. What artifact defines this?

WHAT THIS TESTS: This question tests whether you understand the Scrum distinction between developer activity and a transparent, usable Increment. Interviewers want to see that you know Done is a formal state that creates transparency about actual progress, not an informal milestone that hides remaining work.

A GOOD ANSWER COVERS: First, define code complete as a local developer milestone where implementation is written but not necessarily integrated, tested, or documented. Second, define Done as the state where the Product Backlog Item meets the teams shared quality standard and the resulting Increment is usable. Third, name the Definition of Done as the artifact that formalizes this standard and makes the state of the Increment transparent to the Scrum Team and stakeholders. Fourth, connect this to empiricism: without a clear Definition of Done, inspection of progress is misleading because the perceived state of the Increment does not match reality.

COMMON WRONG ANSWERS: Saying that Done means the code is merged or passed code review but testing or documentation will happen later. Treating Done as optional or variable per item rather than a shared team standard. Confusing the Sprint Backlog or Product Backlog with the artifact that defines quality. Claiming the Product Owner alone decides what Done means without team input.

LIKELY FOLLOW-UPS: How does your team handle work that does not meet the Definition of Done by the end of a Sprint? What happens if the Definition of Done is too strict and the team cannot finish items? How does the Definition of Done relate to the Increment and transparency?

ONE CONCRETE EXAMPLE: A developer finishes writing a feature and opens a pull request. The item is code complete. However, it is not Done until the code is reviewed, merged, deployed to a staging environment, passing automated and manual tests, and documented in the release notes. Only when those criteria in the Definition of Done are met does the Product Backlog Item become a transparent part of the Increment.