There are often many questions and uncertainties around Scrum and the daily standup meeting. It is a bit of a notorious meeting as many development teams simply don't like it. They sometimes feel like it is a waste of their time and something many of them have to actually wake up for.
Historically my teams have always had a pleasant experience with daily standup. As one of the core Scrum ceremonies, it is vital that this meeting is not only run daily, but run well so everyone has a great experience and the team continues to move toward high-performance.
Daily Scrum Basics
The daily scrum, also known as the daily stand-up, is a core meeting in the Scrum framework for agile software development. It is a brief daily gathering where the development team synchronizes their work and plans for the day. Here's what a typical daily scrum looks like:
Time and Place
The meeting is usually held at the same time and place every day. It is typically a short meeting, lasting around 15 minutes. The team members stand up to encourage brevity and focus. These days since many teams are remote and distributed, the standup will take place as a virtual meeting using a tool like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or some other collaboration platform.
A word about cameras: Many team members feel cameras are not important during distributed team calls. Some even refuse to use their camera. This attitude should be reconciled very quickly as cameras do a number of things for the team:
- Cameras promote teamwork - you feel like you are on a team when you can actually SEE your team.
- Cameras promote good communication. Many of the more quiet and reserved team members will try to "hide" during meetings so they do not have to participate. This is an impediment for the Scrum Master to resolve since hidng does not promote good communication.
- Cameras allow people see their teammates facial expressions. I cannot stress this point enough. Seeing teammates laugh, grimace, frown, etc. allows everyone to empathize which builds team camaraderie.
Who Attends the Daily Scrum?
The daily scrum is primarily for the development team members. The Scrum Master and the product owner may also attend, but they primarily observe and support the team rather than actively participate. This depends largely upon the company and the individual team members and how they like to operate.
As a Scrum Master and Delivery Lead, I regularly lead the daily scrum. The teams generally like for me to facilitate it since I make sure the meeting runs on time and everyone participates as they should. I see this is part of my role as facilitator and while it might not be absolutely "proper" according to traditional Scrum, we find that since the teams are wrapped up with their development projects, they like to have someone regularly leading the meetings and asking important questions of the engaged team members.
What Information Do We Need From the Daily Standup?
The meeting revolves around three questions that each team member answers:
- What did I accomplish since the last daily scrum?
- What am I planning to do today?
- Are there any obstacles or impediments blocking my progress?
Each team member takes turns answering these questions, providing a brief update on their progress, goals for the day, and any challenges they are facing.
Focus on Coordination
The daily scrum is not meant for detailed problem-solving or lengthy discussions. It serves as a coordination mechanism, enabling team members to understand each other's work and identify potential dependencies or collaboration opportunities.
Impediment Removal
If any team member mentions an obstacle or impediment during their update, the Scrum Master's role is to note it down and work on resolving it outside the meeting. They may follow up with the person facing the impediment to provide assistance or involve relevant stakeholders to address the issue.
This is one of the hardest areas to control during the daily standup. Impediments are unfortunately a frequent fact of life with development teams and discussions about impediments or blockers to work can often take over the meeting. It is the Scrum Master's role to make sure this does not happen and make sure the meeting stays time-boxed properly.
Adaptation and Transparency
The daily scrum promotes transparency by allowing the team to inspect and adapt their progress continuously. It helps identify any potential deviations from the project plan or potential risks early on.
It is important to remember the daily scrum is not a status reporting meeting to the product owner or stakeholders. It is an internal team meeting focused on coordination and collaboration. If important information comes out of the meeting, the Scrum Master should communicate the relevant information to external stakeholders, if necessary.
Conclusion
The exact format and dynamics of a daily scrum may vary between teams and organizations. There is no "one size fits all" approach to the daily scrum. The important thing is to foster open communication, collaboration, and daily progress synchronization among the team members.
