What Does “Done” Really Mean? Unpacking Software Team Roles and Responsibilities

A Software Development Team Morning Meeting

During a stand‑up, the boss asks about the progress of a feature. A junior developer reports that the code is finished and waiting for code review, prompting a tense exchange about timelines and accountability.

The senior developer wonders which pull request is being discussed and who is assigned, while another senior engineer is distracted by unfinished coffee and lingering bugs.

The project manager tries to reassure everyone that the next release is scheduled for next Thursday, and the boss urges the team to hurry.

What does “Done” really mean? In JIRA, “Done” is the final status of a ticket, indicating the work is complete. From a boss’s perspective, “Done” means the product feature is live and generating value.

Responsibility for deciding which product to ship (e.g., “putting an elephant in a fridge”) lies with product managers and directors, while the technical feasibility and implementation are the duties of the R&D lead, technical director, or team lead.

Strategically, the technology side must help the product team find the right market‑technology fit and avoid unrealistic ideas.

Software Team Roles and Responsibilities

Junior developers typically focus on implementing features or fixing bugs within the existing codebase. Senior engineers may be tasked with refactoring core frameworks or redesigning critical functionalities.

Should a junior’s code be reviewed, and who is responsible for the review?

What standards should guide the review, and which pull request should be merged first?

Effective teams need leaders—team leads, technical directors—to drive these decisions and facilitate communication up and down the hierarchy.

The “first‑responsibility” model assigns a specific engineer to own a feature end‑to‑end, including coding, testing, and coordination of front‑end/back‑end integration.

Career ladders in many companies follow a tiered structure:

L3/L4: New graduates or early‑career engineers who mainly contribute without independent project ownership.

L5: Senior Engineers who can independently plan and deliver simple projects.

L6 and above: Staff Engineers and Senior Staff Engineers who drive complex or cross‑team initiatives.

Management levels (M5, M6) such as team leads or R&D directors focus on resource coordination, external communication, and ensuring project delivery; whether they code depends on the organization.

Understanding these roles and the definition of “Done” helps teams work more efficiently and guides individual career development.

Author: Sun Yucong