Daily Standups

Contents 1 Overview 2 Importance 3 PMI-ACP Exam Outline Reference 4 Body 5 History 6 Current practice 7 See also 8 Sources & Reference 9 External Links

Overview

Short daily status update meeting, also known as "daily SCRUM", "Morning Roll-Call" or "Daily Standup", time-boxed typically between 5 and 15 Minutes, intended to communicate progress on the project, planned work for the day and impediments that might have or might prevent planned progress.

Importance

The daily standup is a key SCRUM practice and lack of such a meeting is a typical symptom of a team having issues. The standup is part of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and allows the team to adjust on a daily basis to deliver value.

PMI-ACP Exam Outline Reference

Tools and Techniques > Communication

Body

Typically daily standups are performed with the team members standing in a circle each member addressing the three core questions:

1. What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?

2. What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?

3. Do I see any impediment that prevents me or the Development Team from meeting the Sprint Goal?

Most teams have each person answer the 3 questions and then move on to the next team member.

Standing up during the meeting is intended to keep the meeting short. Standing in a circle will help the team focus on each other and avoid making the SM the center of attention. The communication is owned by and targeted to every team member.

Roles or Personas required to attend are the team members and the SCRUM master. The Product Owner is generally encouraged to attend as well. The SCRUM master or project leader is typically not part of the circle but will prevent any third parties from interrupting this team communication. Just like most meetings, daily standups are recommended to be held in a public accessible area at a set and published time every day. The public is invited to listen and watch but is not allowed to interact with the team during that time. For that reason the SCRUM master is often described as the safe guard or the gate keeper.

Since Agile teams are self-organizing, each team member will use a fraction of the meeting without monopolizing the meeting time or jeopardizing its time-box (max. 15 Minutes). Team members will inform each other whereby typically short questions from other team members are allowed.

The SCRUM also has the role of the MC safe guarding the Agile Process. He/she will only get involved to assure that every member will have opportunity to update the team, or if explicitly asked by the team. Typically the team will ask for support to remove impediments or for guidance in the Agile Process.

As a Servant Leader the SCRUM master does not assign tasks to any of the team members or asks questions for any other purpose than guiding the team in their self-organized process.

The daily standup is not the place for discussions or addressing or resolving personal or project issues. The meetings main intent is for team members to inform each other. It is common for issues to come up and the team should learn to take follow-up discussion offline. Many times, team members will stick around after the standup and discuss impediments and other issues that came up. Though conflicts between the team members, with the project or with the environment in which the project exists will need to be addressed and resolved as soon as possible, they typically will be taken off-line to keep the meeting short and within its time box.

The daily standup typically initially meets the resistance of team members not used to talk about work or issues to others or from managers that do not understand the Agile process and deem the meetings a waste of time. Over a short time though opponents will recognize the value when teams start to develop a culture open open and direct communication.

During the standup no tools, such as note pads or tablets are allowed. Team members will focus on each other rather than on taking notes. The shortness of the meeting and standing up freely, preferably in the middle of a room without walls or objects to lean on, will further support undivided attention of team members for each other - there is just nothing else to do or to be distracted by. Many teams find it useful to meet by their task board or other information wall and may even have short "celebrations" in moving a task to the next state.

Ideally the standup is held in a DMZ (demilitarized zone) where no people can be passing through and bystanders have subscribed to the core demand of not interrupting the team process at any time for anything. Phones should be silenced and others noises locked out as much as possible to guarantee least possible distraction for the team.

History

Daily Standups are part of the core concept of Agile and have been recommended practice since the official inception of Agile processes supporting the principles stated in the Agile Manifesto, especially "Individuals and Interaction over Processes and Tools"

Current practice

An experienced SCRUM master will find ways to keep the team from focusing too much on him or her. Avoid being the first one to speak and let the team do the talking. Stepping back a bit from the circle may help give the message that this is not a report to the SM but rather a conversation among the team.

See also

Sources & Reference

The Scrum Guide

External Links

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