How to run daily standup — a beginner’s guide
About 2 years ago, I was a soon-to-be graduate looking for a full-time job, thankfully I had an internship that seemed promising. My managers created a role to support the team where it needed the most help.
I was asked to be our team Scrum Master, and not knowing what that was, I quickly Googled “What is a Scrum Master?”. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but 2 years later I am truly grateful for the experience and want to share the knowledge I’ve gained into bite-size articles. This article is for beginners dipping their toes in Scrum, specifically daily standup (also known as daily scrum).
What is daily standup?
Daily standup is a team meeting held every morning where team members come together to ensure everyone has the most up to date information on current projects, similar to a “team huddle”. Standup is usually only 15-minutes long and each team member is standing during this meeting (a great technique to ensure each member update is concise). Each team member shares what they accomplished yesterday, what they will complete today, and any obstacles standing in their way.
What is the purpose of daily standup?
The purpose of daily standup is to improve team communication. It's where you learn what your team members are working on, ask questions to eliminate unnecessary meetings and identify obstacles that need to be resolved quickly to ensure work can be done on time. Daily standup increases team efficiency and allows the team to say aligned to their sprint goals.
How does daily standup work?
Daily standup should take place every day at the same time and place if possible (the goal is to make it a routine). It’s important that everyone on the team attends including the Product Owner. Each member will answer the following questions:
- What did you do yesterday?
Share your progress on the sprint goals, focusing on the activities that are relevant to the whole team. - What are you going to do today?
Include all activities that you plan on completing today (you will be held accountable for this in tomorrow’s daily standup. - Are there any obstacles preventing you from getting your work done?
Identify any obstacles that are preventing you from reaching your sprint goals. Solving these obstacles should take place after standup with the required team members.
Things to avoid in daily standup
- Starting daily standup late
- Solving obstacles that have been identified in daily standup
- Having team members rambling on or going to much into detail
- Having technical discussions that should be addressed after daily standup
- Repurposing the meeting for any other uses
Conclusion
The first time your run daily standup, it will likely not go as planned, but as the team gets used to this new scrum meeting, it will be the place where your team comes together and aligns on their goals.
