Daily Standup Meetings — A Must-Have Communication Framework
I have worked as a communication specialist for a greater part of my career, at least within the last decade, and it is from this vantage point I infer that the linear features that defines the processes and structure of traditional project management can not be underestimated in certain industries and clime; at least we owe the ealier US Space Program the honour, a feat that has filtered into almost every facet of human endeavours. However, there is no doubt that the process style and corresponding performance it produces stands the agile framework out from its traditional counterpart — of course most organizations are gradully embracing the agile framework constantly.
In fairness, the ability to deliver projects on schedule, on budget, and with business goals mindset is key to success in every project endeavour. This leads project managers (of course using the term in a broader sense) to have an incredibly complex assignment, one that blends organizational skills, an analytical mind, and adept interpersonal abilities. Hence looking at the traditional considerations of time, cost and scope, over value, we see that the agile framework is customer-centric and value-driven.
Well, that is not my point for this article…. Please stay with me!
I forayed into learning the principles of agile, and was duly fascinated by the scrum method due to its iterative, fast and flexible framework designed to continuously churn out value quickly and consistently throughout a project lifecycle. My ever increasing awe still goes to the time-boxed phase of project implementation called Daily Standup Meeting. How that a fifteen minute meeting constantly produces a well for springing daily shippable deliverables in a sprint.
As a Scrum Master cum communication specialist, whenever I stand with my team to hold this much-revered meeting —
PS: It is called a “daily standup meeting” but in actual sense, we often don’t stand up all the time to hold these meetings…. (that’s funny, right?). We are just a highly motivated and focused team who sees time as a great and considerable factor in guaranteeing the success a project, of course with value…
Ditto, my team and I need not stray away from the goal, at least to beat the time box we have been programmed to think from and within, three main questions are asked:
What have we done since yesterday?
What do we plan to do before tomorrow’s meeting?
What impediments or obstacles are we currently facing?
By just focusing on these three line of thoughts with quantifiable answers, my team and I become equipped with a clear understanding of the work status and what it is that we need to focus on each sprint. As a facilitator of generalist specialists, my empowered and motivated team fly beneath these wings to achieve the goal set for, and during the sprint.
If you ask me: does this work in real time? Sure, yes! It does work. It makes my team know that each member is an important and major contributor to the work we do, leading to enhanced performance and improved quality of deliverables.
So, whether we are sitting or standing, we stand on the shoulders of motivation and willingness to deliver value on time.
Image Source: https://getnave.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/standup-meeting.png
Michael Oyetunji SFC|SMC
Communications Specialist || Agile Coach
