A definition of ready for small teams: stop starting work that cannot finish

Many teams have a definition of done: the checks that mean a piece of work is really finished. We wrote about it in a definition of done for small teams. Fewer teams have the mirror image: a definition of ready, the conditions that mean a piece of work can actually start.

Without one, teams start work that immediately stalls. The brief is unclear, a file is missing, the client has not approved the direction, the person who knows the answer is on leave. The work sits half-started, and half-started work is the most expensive kind.

A short definition of ready

For most small teams, an action is ready when:

1. The outcome is clear. Anyone could say what "done" looks like.
2. The owner is named. One person.
3. The inputs are available. Files, access, information, approvals.
4. It is small enough to finish. If it will take more than a few days, split it. See split big projects into actions.
5. Nothing it depends on is still open. Or the dependency is tracked as its own action.

Five questions, one minute.

Where "not ready" work belongs

Work that fails the check does not belong in your active column. On a 2D board:

• If it is waiting on someone else for an input, it belongs in Other with that person's name.
• If it simply is not time yet, it belongs in Next.
• Only ready work goes in Mine.

That keeps Mine honest: everything there can actually be worked on today.

Why this helps

• Less context switching. You stop picking up work you cannot finish.
• Clearer chasing. Missing inputs become visible Other actions, not vague blockers.
• Better estimates. Ready work is easier to size.

Do not turn it into bureaucracy

A definition of ready should be a quick mental check, not a form. If it starts to slow the team down, shorten it. The goal is fewer stalled starts, not more process. For the broader idea, see just enough structure beats rigid workflows.