The Real Purpose of Agile Standups: Simplifying the Daily Check-In
In recent months, questions about agile standups — or daily scrums — have surfaced repeatedly in various aspects of my professional life. From “What exactly are standups?” to “Should we use bots in our daily meetings?” and “What topics should be avoided during these sessions?” These inquiries have become increasingly common. Having practiced standups for years, I realized that it had been a long time since I critically analyzed this routine part of my day. Prompted by a surge of questions from my mentees, my curiosity was piqued to revisit what I had taken for granted as just another trivial daily task. As I often do when I delve into a topic anew, I reached out to my network for insights and perspectives. This time around, I’ve decided to share the collective wisdom and diverse approaches that came back, shedding new light on how we can all make the most of these essential, yet often underestimated, agile meetings. For a deeper dive into refining agile practices, see my article ‘Unraveling Agile: Tune Out the Noise, Get Things Done’ here.”
Why Should You Care About Your Standup Role?
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just getting acquainted with agile methodologies, your contribution to daily standups matters immensely. The way you present your updates can set the tone for the entire team, propelling everyone towards more meaningful and efficient communication. If you’re tired of the same repetitive standup routine, a small change in how you communicate can spark a wave of improvement across your team — no formal directives needed. Others will see the value in your approach, adopt similar practices, and collectively, you’ll all rise with the tide, alleviating the drudgery of poorly run meetings. For quick tips and tools that can enhance your standup meetings, check out my ‘Agile Cheat Sheet’ here.”
Transform Your Agile Standups with These Direct Actions
Agile standups should be succinct, impactful, and above all, effective. By focusing on specific, actionable improvements, you can immediately enhance the dynamics of these meetings:
Focus Solely on Blockers and Immediate Priorities
Narrow your updates to only blockers and critical tasks. If it’s not a hurdle or pivotal to today’s goals, it can wait. This focus encourages the team to ponder whether sharing something will actually aid in making the day more productive.
Emphasize Preparation and Brevity
Arrive at each standup knowing precisely what you need to share, and encourage your team to do the same. Each member should aim for brief updates of 30–60 seconds. This practice not only shortens the meeting but also sharpens the communication, making every second count.
Shift from Passive Reports to Active Planning
Transform your updates from passive recounts to active next steps. Instead of stating, “I worked on X,” shift to “Today, I’m completing X to advance to Y.” This keeps everyone focused on progress and next steps, rather than just a recount of past actions.
Utilize a ‘Standup Board’ for Clarity
If possible, use a physical or digital board to visually represent key update points. Simple columns for yesterday’s achievements, today’s goals, and current blockers can drastically streamline communication and comprehension.
Tackle Blockers Immediately
Promptly address any identified blockers by assigning them for immediate resolution post-standup or setting a specific time to strategize a solution. This proactive approach prevents productivity stalls.
Key Missteps to Avoid
Effective agile standups hinge on concise and relevant communication. To ensure your standups contribute positively to team dynamics and productivity, be mindful of these specific pitfalls:
Technical Showboating: Avoid using standups as a platform to demonstrate technical skills or secure your job security. Speak in clear, concise language that all team members can understand, focusing on essential updates rather than technical depth.
Unnecessary Updates: If you have no progress or relevant information to share, it’s acceptable to say, “No updates.” This approach keeps the standup streamlined and gives space for more pressing issues.
Overthinking Your Update: Remember, the details of your update are less important than you might assume. Your team’s goal is to gauge progress, not dissect every task. Keep your updates brief and relevant.
Stick to KISS: Adhere to the “Keep It Simple, Stupid” principle. A sticky note on your monitor with “KISS” can serve as a constant reminder to keep your communication straightforward and focused.
These targeted practices will help you avoid common standup blunders, ensuring that your updates are efficient and directly contribute to the team’s progress and cohesion.
Small Changes, Big Impact
These simple yet focused modifications can transform your standups into a powerful tool for daily efficiency. Embrace these changes and witness how your agile routine evolves into a more effective and engaging process.
Incorporating insights from your network into your article on agile standups provides a comprehensive view that enriches the content with diverse perspectives. Here’s a refined introduction to the Q&A section that sets the stage for sharing these varied insights:
Diverse Insights: Standup Strategies from Seasoned Professionals
Having delved into the mechanics and common pitfalls of agile standups, I reached out to my network for further enlightenment. These professionals, each with over a decade of experience in our industry, offer a variety of viewpoints on optimizing daily scrums. It’s important to note that while their approaches may differ, each perspective is valid and demonstrates the flexibility and adaptability of agile methodologies.
In wrapping up this discussion, we dive into real-world insights directly from the professionals in my network. Their answers highlight distinct approaches and common obstacles encountered during standup meetings.
Question 1: Maximizing the Impact of Standup Updates
Branden Adams — Systems Engineer
“For standup, I think the most effective standups I’ve been part of are the ones that we only use the time to get unblocked. This is heavily dependent on a successful sprint refinement ceremonies. All the status update standups are a pain in the arse. If you wanna know the status of a ticket, look in Jira.”
Stephen Carlson — Senior Product Owner | Design Operations
1) “Keep it tactical: stand ups provide an opportunity to refocus their task-based efforts in the context of their team, rather than thinking solely in terms of individual contribution.”
2) “Avoid high-level or strategic talk which tends to spiral into conversations about how things could be in the future rather than what’s pertinent to the now and what needs to be delivered in short order.”
Karli — Software Engineer
“Stand-ups are vital for ensuring our team functions effectively, much like a crew navigating a spaceship. Each session should serve as a platform for sharing critical updates about our day-to-day operations. This includes any blockers that are impeding progress, as well as insights that might impact other teams or contributors. By treating these meetings as an opportunity to deliver concise status reports, we keep our ‘spaceship’ on course and prevent small issues from becoming larger problems.”
Question 2: What to Avoid in Standups
Doug Jarnot — Director — Product Transformation & Agile Delivery:
“Don’t do status updates. Focus on what is relevant. Make sure to solve your problems as they arise. Don’t spend an hour on a [redacted] saying it’s a standup. Ensure everyone participates effectively. If you’re updating on work that doesn’t align with current priorities, it’s worth reassessing the relevance of that work.
Jake Fulton — Senior Software Engineer
“The short answer is to always make it short and sweet. It’s named standup in order to make you give a quick update since standing for long periods is uncomfortable. Nobody likes a bloated standup, and it will mean less people giving their full attention.”
Karli — Software Engineer
“Over sharing with minor details can dilute the information that should be shared with others and can inadvertently convince members of the team that stand-ups don’t bring value. Keeping things short and simple is what not only retains attention for the team but brings only the highlights that others should be in the loop on.”
Ryan Johnson — Vice President Of Software Engineering:
“I f***ing hate standups.”
Sam Johnson — Director of Performance Marketing:
If an item takes longer than anticipated, push it to a separate meeting. Make sure everyone participates in some way. Don’t over focus time on one issue — use it as a diagnostic to find what needs more time then dedicate appropriately.
Stephen Carlson — Senior Product Owner | Design Operations:
Basically, avoid going down rabbit holes. Extension of 1: allows teams to uncover blockers and figure out how to resolve in the context of the tasks at hand.
Many Others:
“I really don’t want to think about standups.”
Further Reading:
For those looking to dive deeper into effective agile practices, Mountain Goat Software offers a wealth of resources that can further enhance your understanding and execution of agile methodologies. Explore their extensive collection here.
