Task

Watch the video “Stand up”. We’ll explore the purpose of the stand up and explain how to run one. This will help you prioritise what you work on, to align with the goals in your roadmap.

Transcript of video

Stand-ups are a vital part of an Agile team's daily routine. You may also hear this referred to as a daily Scrum, by Scrum teams. This event provides a simple and structured way for teams to connect, reflect, and plan the day ahead. They aim to keep everyone aligned and aware of progress. 

In this video, we’ll explore what a stand-up is, its purpose, how to run one. We'll also consider the benefits it brings to your team. 

The primary purpose of a stand-up is to inspect and adapt progress towards the team’s goals. Each day, team members gather for a quick, focused discussion. They review the work completed, assess any blockers, and adapt their plan for the day if necessary. This process helps to keep the team on track toward meeting their sprint goals. It's also an opportunity to adjust the sprint backlog as new information comes to light. 

To get the most out of a stand-up, the key is to keep it simple and consistent. It’s recommended it takes place at the same time and place each day. This ensures it becomes a reliable part of the team's routine. It should be short—around 15 minutes—keeping everyone focused. One way to approach this, is to ask each team member to answer three key questions: 

  1. What did you do yesterday? 
  2. What will you do today? 
  3. Do you have any blockers? 

These questions encourage transparency, help everyone understand progress, and surface any issues early. By doing this, the team can respond to issues immediately. 

  1. Stand-ups encourage regular communication between the team. This ensures everyone is on the same page about progress and priorities. 
  2. By raising blockers early, you can work together to resolve them. Doing so can reduce or even prevent delays in delivery. 
  3. The routine encourages timely decision-making, preventing issues from lingering. 
  4. Finally, a quick, daily catch-up means there’s less need for other status meetings. This keeps the rest of your calendar clear for doing the actual work. 

Stand-ups are a simple but powerful Agile event. They help you stay connected and adapt to challenges. This keeps you moving toward your goals.