---
title: What should Scrum Teams do if they cannot achieve a Done Increment?
description: "If a [Scrum Team](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/scrum-team/) cannot achieve a Done [Increment](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/increment/), they should identify the work required to enable them to reach Done in future Sprints. This work should be added to the [Product Backlog](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/a-scrum-artifact-that-consists-of-an-ordered-list-of-the-work-to-be-done-in-order-to-create-maintain-and-sustain-a-product-managed-by-the-product-owner/) and prioritised highly to ensure it is…"
url: "https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/docs/what-should-scrum-teams-do-if-they-cannot-achieve-a-done-increment/"
updated: "2024-12-19"
category: Commitments / Definition of Done
---

# What should Scrum Teams do if they cannot achieve a Done Increment?

If a [Scrum Team](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/scrum-team/) cannot achieve a Done [Increment](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/increment/), they should identify the work required to enable them to reach Done in future Sprints. This work should be added to the [Product Backlog](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/a-scrum-artifact-that-consists-of-an-ordered-list-of-the-work-to-be-done-in-order-to-create-maintain-and-sustain-a-product-managed-by-the-product-owner/) and prioritised highly to ensure it is addressed promptly.

Including this work in future Sprints will help the team move towards achieving a Done [Increment](https://www.thescrummaster.co.uk/glossary/increment/) as early and often as possible. Accepting where it is not currently possible and working towards making it achievable will support continuous improvement and reduce risk over time.