How can you keep daily stand-ups from becoming status reports?

The Scrum Alliance no longer recommends reporting what you did yesterday. That’s a status report. Instead, focus on “What’s my plan for the day?” and any blockers, current or potential. This is a planning session, for the team, not to tell the boss or Scrum Master what was done. This shifts it from status reporting to success planning.

Adhering to the Agenda and reiterating the purpose of the daily stand ups is of paramount importance. - What I did yesterday - What will I do today - Impediments if any The above should be addressed in the Daily Stand Ups. Making it a status report meeting could hamper the progress and pull focus away from the impediments that would need attention further hampering the sprint increments.

In MeDirect's digital banking squads, daily stand-ups are vital for team alignment and problem-solving. Clarify Objectives: Make sure squads know the stand-up is for syncing and addressing blockers, not just ticking off tasks. Foster Interactivity: Urge squad members to ask questions and suggest solutions, turning the stand-up into a collaborative forum. Spotlight Blockers: Prioritize immediate challenges and blockers, making the stand-up a real-time problem-solving arena. Promote Trust: Use this time to build trust within squads, encouraging open dialogue about pressing issues. When stand-ups become mere status reports, they lose their agility-boosting power. Keep them focused and interactive to sustain MeDirect's Agile momentum.

I initially set up a session to explain and gauge the team's understanding of the meeting's purpose. I am open to their feedback, as there may be times when the daily standup doesn't seem to align with the nature of their workload. I made it clear, however, that conducting a brief session to strategize and outline the day's tasks is crucial for fostering a cohesive team. It's important for the team to comprehend that the daily standup is not a mere status report or a means for management to closely monitor their activities. It serves as a session to begin the day with a plan, address any potential assistance needed, and identify any discrepancies or misalignments.

GREAT Question! I am the black sheep, as usual but I don't agree with most comments you read here. In my experience, the daily stand up is a candidate for failure, and accident waiting to happen. Back in 2010, it was useful as a minor paradigm shift in project management to do the bare minimum, like asking what you did, what are you going do and so on. It grew old in my humble opinion. Most people do not find it useful if done automatically. Only participants can QA the daily's usefulness. If candid feedback is that they get nothing out of it, adapt! Be brave and be blunt. Avoid the following if you can: - The team member who always monopolises the conversation - Sticking to the 3 famous questions just for the sake of it - (ping me)

Keep the context in mind when answering these questions. Planning as a team, over status update! Think "We are not answering these to give a status updater, we are sharing information to help us plan as a team together!"

Ditch the 3 questions altogether. In order to avoid the status update trap, allow the developers to run their stand-up meeting. The scrum lead is on the call to enable the team and clear blockers as needed, but the stand-up call belongs to the dev team and should be used to allow them space to connect and collaborate on issues. Everyone else should take a backseat.

In the digital banking squads at MeDirect, consistency is key to effective daily stand-ups. Stick to the Script: Maintain a clear agenda that everyone knows, whether it's the classic three questions or a customized set. Add Depth: Consider adding a question about learning or struggles, offering a fuller picture of the squad's experience. Walk-the-Board: Optionally, review tasks on the Kanban board to discuss progress and issues, adding another layer of insight. Consistency Matters: Once an agenda is set, adhere to it. This ensures everyone knows what to expect and can prepare accordingly. Straying from the agenda can turn stand-ups into unfocused chats. Keep them streamlined and consistent to maintain MeDirect's Agile efficacy.

To ensure proper engagement, it's essential to have the team's agreement that the meeting belongs to them, not someone else. The agenda plays a crucial role in keeping the session constructive, minimizing distractions, and managing expectations. It's a session to help the team.

It is important to understand the agenda of scrum. People tend to consider this ceremony as status call which tends to deviate from the actual agenda and sometimes it overshadow the underlying isssue Scrum mast must ensure that the agenda or the outcome of the scrum is to find - 1. What was done in last 24 hours 2. What is the plan for next 24 hours 3. Any impediments If the topic deviates from above agenda then scrum master is to ensure the team is back on the agenda

Collaboration is about fostering dialog. Beware of closed-ended questions as these are dialog killers. When dialog is fostered, and creativity is sparked, you’ll start seeing a synergy within the team and a much more well rounded understanding of your operation and what your team is experiencing.

In the digital banking squads at MeDirect, the art of questioning can transform daily stand-ups into collaborative think-tanks. Inquire to Inspire: Shift from task-oriented questions to those that ignite curiosity and teamwork. Probe Challenges: Instead of a simple "Is the feature done?", opt for "What hurdles did you encounter? How can the squad assist?" Open Conversations: Questions should be door-openers for deeper dialogue, inviting team members to share insights. Stimulate Teamwork: Use the stand-up to pinpoint collective strategies for overcoming immediate challenges. By rethinking the questions we ask, we can elevate the quality of our daily stand-ups, keeping them aligned with MeDirect's Agile objectives.

Following the Jira Board or any other ticketing system not only helps keep the team focused but also provides a visual way to understand challenges and workload.

The presence of a board also helps maintain focus on the meeting's objectives. I've noticed that teams without a board often experience a bit of chaos and micromanagement.

Mainting a proper board helps visualize where we are in relatio to the sprint goal. We look at it from right to left, thus emphasizing what already has been done, what is in progress and what is still open. This allows us also to early raise the hand if we overcomitted.

It is natural to surface issues that are too complex to solve during your daily stand-up. One of the most important reasons to meet is to identify any blockers and engage the right people to remove them. In a minute or less, it should be possible to provide enough detail to identify who needs to follow up and by when. It's important to build trust with the team that if they raise an issue during the standup and are told that follow up will happen that it actually takes place. If there are certain team members (i.e. a PM, a PO, a Solutions Architect, etc.) it may be helpful to have standing time blocked out to go deeper on any items that were raised that day and clear them out. If it's not needed that day, it can always be cancelled.

Set a strict time limit for the meeting (typically 15 minutes for a 15-member team). This encourages brevity and ensures that discussions don't drag on into status reporting.

One thing that I've found helpful was to stick with the time box. This teaches the scrum team to be on spot on to focus on what we are working on. Any issues / blockers / questions raised, that we cannot clarifiy are taken offline.

Going over the time was a constant occurrence in my standups. So, we covered blockers/topics (which need more than a minute) in a parking lot section. Once everyone finishes their stand-ups, we used to cover them and allow team members to leave if their inputs aren't needed, to save time.

In MeDirect's digital banking environment, daily stand-ups are a living process, ripe for innovation. Iterate for Impact: Use retrospectives and metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your stand-ups, then adapt accordingly. Test New Formats: Don't hesitate to shake things up with new structures or tools that could make the stand-up more engaging. Gather Feedback: Actively seek input from squad members on how to make this daily ritual more beneficial for everyone. Encourage Creativity: Open the floor for fresh ideas that could make stand-ups not just productive, but also enjoyable. By embracing a mindset of continuous improvement, we ensure that our daily stand-ups remain a dynamic part of MeDirect's Agile journey.

Experimenting and improving a process is necessary to evolve and execute your team efficiently. For instance, if a team is newly formed, we may require additional time for stand-ups in order to gain a deeper understanding of team roles, enhance clarity, and prevent duplication of work. That also means, to scale back the time when the team doesn't more time. This approach saves a lot of "engineer time" on a weekly basis. So, keep experimenting to find the right setup for your team.

- Instead of the teamlead calling person after person, I prefer each person choosing the next speaker. It gives people more agency and improves team cohesion. - Another alternative is iterating through deliverables (Sprint goals) instead of people. It creates more focus on the business value. - Ask the team what they think. Do they need stand-ups? Do they like them? What would they change? - Keep in mind the purpose of this ceremony - to mark the progress, to unblock, to resolve dependencies. Everything else is optional - sync/async format, lists of questions, time limits.

Rotating Facilitator: Rotate the facilitator role for fresh perspectives. Quick Ice-Breaker: Start with a 30-second game or joke to lighten the mood. Emoji Status: Use emojis to express task status, making updates quicker and more engaging. 'Hot Seat' Question: Randomly pick one person to answer a fun, unexpected question. Time-Capped Challenges: Pose a quick challenge to solve by day's end, sparking creativity. Guest Appearances: Invite a guest from another department for quick insights. By incorporating these ideas, you can make daily stand-ups more engaging and foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

It's a session that belongs to the team. The team can agree to have a random facilitator, besides the leader, or it will become a mere status report. Make it enjoyable and open, allowing people to engage and find value in the session. Just like in a game, there are rules that serve to guide and mitigate distractions. Don't make it a mandatory session, but rather a complementary one. No matter what you call it, the team needs to have a moment together, similar to a soccer/football team strategizing and motivating for the challenges ahead.

Promoting a respectful approach towards individuals, where meetings are free from inducing anxiety, fear, or unwarranted emotions. We are all adults and should be treated as such. In a positive, empowering work environment where the team thrives and enjoys being, meetings won't resemble mere status updates.