How to run an effective (and fun) standup.

Notes from session at Agile Open NWBy Ed Kraay

Objective

• To communicate the learnings from an Agile Open NW Session to SIQ

• Goal: To learn to identify when your standup may become dull and pointless, and learn some ways to fix it if that happens.

EFFECTIVE STANDUP?What characterizes an

Ask good questions…

Changeup the Order

…Goes Last

Team picks the time

Use Humor

End Crisply.

Leave with Actions.

Developers talk to eachother.

Good Audio for offsite.

NON-EFFECTIVE STANDUPWhat makes a

Report to Leader

Not coming prepared

Waiting to talk til’ Standup.

Starting too early

Too many people at standup

Shoegazing

Standup as a design session.

Standup sitting down.

Standup as a separate area from the team room.

Electronics on during standup.

Standup starts the day.

Not reporting impediments.

Not stopping rat-holing.

•Random Placement of Scrum Master in order of standup•Ask questions to group vs. individuals as smells •SM Don't act as technical leader•SM don't make eye contact •SM Reiterate the value of standup to the team •SM Redirect decisions/approval back to the team •Pigs: Communicate lateness and report to the team, not to SM or PO •Don't say start, let the team say go: Spin the marker •Install a sense of team ownership. Do less for them. They will do more for themselves.

Reporting to Leader – How to fix.

People not prepared for Standup, how to fix

• Make a list of things you did the evening before. Bring in the morning

• Give some work time before the meeting to get in work mindset

• Look at commit logs, records of work as a refresher

• Minute timers: try to fill but not go over • Frame your day in how it is relevant to

the group • Have a Splash Down: A second standup

at end of the day or other time to review what we did

• Have progress charts/info visible during standup

• Don't tell the detail, pick up the highlights

Only discussion is at Daily Standup• Status report takes away from the

daily standup • Use a parking lot • Make sure folks follow up at the

end of a meeting, not during the meeting

• Schedule a design discussion • Have an all day chat with the team:

why wait to report an impediment in 24 hours, why not bring them to up when they happen **Encourage a developer TODO list

• Have developers reference the story & the task

• End the scrum on a positive note

HOW TO MAKE A DULL STANDUP FUN

Now that you’ve figured out how to have an effective standup, how do you avoid a dull, repetitive, boring standup….

Use a Token

Bring a different token each sprint

Spin the Marker

Bring Appreciations.

Team Member, I appreciate you for, X.

Encourage Woohoo!

Bring Food, Make it a surprise Last one to finish

standup says “Thank you”

Do a dance if you’re late.

Create a non-human enemy

To SIQ: What do you think? What makes a standup Fun and Effective?

• Ideas to make it effective– Invite SIQ Management occasionally so

they know the issues we are facing– If the leader is missing, does standup still

happen (indicator of a good standup is yes)

– Make Rally Red when there is an impediment

– Ask the team if there are any issues or help they need after standup so that standup doesn’t last too long

– For cell phone drivers: Make guidelines “Pull over if you are driving and reporting standup”

– Post the dial in number for standup, so the SM is not the only one who starts standup

– Try reporting issues where a story is growing in size, not just technical impediments “Problems are treasures”

• Ideas to make it fun– Have an outdoor standup– Get enthusiastic about the

work (bugs bashed or problems solved)

– Switch Scrum Masters (invitiation or team)

– Don’t do standup for a day so you welcome it when it is back

– Buy lunch if someone brings 3 impediments

– Visit another team’s standup so you can get tips and tricks on how to make yours fun

Some Snapshots of the Event