If you've ever been part of an agile project, odds are good that you've participated in a daily stand-up meeting. The goal is to communicate status, identify obstacles, and commit to an action plan for the day, while minimizing the time the team spends in meetings.
The basic format is very simple. The whole team meets everyday for a quick (less than fifteen minutes) checkpoint. Everybody takes a turn answering three questions:
If you've participated in daily stand-ups more than just a few times, odds are also good that you've seen them fail. Given such a simple format, why do stand-ups so often run astray?
One of the biggest culprits is lack of preparation. Those awkward pauses while someone is trying to remember what they did yesterday throw off the rhythm of thestand-up, causing it to drag on and creating opportunities for it to degenerate into a planning session or social event. In order to keep the standup short, high energy, and effective, everyone must show up prepared to answer the three questions.
Try taking a minute or two before the stand-up to jot down your answers to the questions on a sticky note. Bring it to the meeting with you, and use it as your guide when it's your turn to speak. Stick to your script, and "take offline" other conversations the spring up.
After the stand-up post the note somewhere on or near your desk. Tomorrow it will serve as a reminder of what you committed to today.
