Running a Remote Work Stand-up, Rule #3: Call Multiple Plays

In the first two installments of this series, we’ve discussed how running a remote team stand-up is different than its face-to-face equivalent. As a reminder, these are my five rules to run a great remote stand-up:

1. Now It’s Personal
2. Forget “Yesterday, Today, Blockers” and embrace “Decisions, Choices, Impediments”
3. Call Multiple Plays
4. Wrap-it-up like a pro
5. Prepare a Cheat Sheet

Today’s post is about Rule #3: Call Multiple Plays

A single blog post cannot capture the complexity of the love/hate relationship I have with note-taking in professional environments. (That’s a topic for another post.) But I wanted to share a distinct approach to tracking “action items” that I believe naturally extends from the shift from “YTB -> DCI” I recommended in rule #2.

Sometimes, the “Next Steps” aren’t enough

We all know that one of the most important ingredients to an effective meeting is clearly capturing and sharing “Action Items” or “Next Steps.” Simply put, if the meeting attendees agreed that someone was going to do something, let’s make sure they know it’s been assigned to them, and we’ve got it in writing. Bonus points if you capture a due date for getting that task completed. There are two reasons why this isn’t enough for a remote team.

The first is that a singular action item often doesn’t provide enough direction to keep a given workstream running for an entire day’s work. Action items or assignments should fill the working time available for a given team member, and bridge them from the current to the next stand-up. If everyone’s in the office this isn’t a huge problem, an effective in-office team might put their heads together in an ad-hoc afternoon huddle and solve-through the next challenge together. But when the team’s remote, the likelihood of that “just happening” goes down dramatically. When everyone is remote we’ll want to identify the need for these next steps during the stand-up so that individuals can align schedules and priorities to ensure that everyone stays productive all day.

The second reason why singular action items fall-flat with remote teams is that they only articulate what a team member will do, but not any decisions that need to be made. A great remote stand-up also helps identify critical choices on the horizon and clearly identify who or what group of individuals can make those choices. Planning beyond just the next action (which is often assigned a single owner) and identifying decision points which can be owned by multiple individuals is the hallmark of a great remote team. If folks are “unblocked” at 9AM but by 1 in the afternoon they’re at a stand-still we want to make sure the team knows how to navigate that hurdle without getting everyone back on the phone.

Instead of one action, call multiple plays

My strategy for hedging against these two issues is simple. Instead of focusing on a single set of “action items” I’ll take a few extra seconds and call “multiple plays.”

A “normal” next step might read “Sarah is going to draft the copy for our new ad campaign” but the problem is that no one knows what’s going to happen after that. If that task is completed at 2:30 in the afternoon what might actually happen is nothing till the following morning. Instead, I’d capture the following multi-step action “Sarah is going to draft the new ad copy, then she’ll review it with Abby and if it looks good type it into Ad-Words.” This “Do, Choose, Do” structure provides guidance not only on Sarah’s immediate priorities but also cues Abby to make herself available in the afternoon. Finally, it clearly states that if Abby and Sarah agree on the Ad Copy that’s likely enough to get it moving towards production. If anyone else on the team thinks they should be consulted before this step now’s the time for them to speak up!

In addition to “Do, Choose, Do” structure shared above there are a few other helpful ways to structure next step statements:

“Choose and Do” — “John is going to pick any ticket from the backlog and get working, they’re all groomed so it shouldn’t matter which”

“Do, Pause, Switch” — “Pat’s going to draft the change order for review and send it around, we’ll discuss it in tomorrow’s meeting. After that, he’s going to follow-up on overdue invoices.”

In each case, these “multi-play actions” help the whole team understand not only each member’s immediate priority but what the entire day may hold for them. It helps clarify who’s going to be involved in what work, and by definition who’s not.

In summary, the old-fashioned approach to capturing single owner “next steps” doesn’t provide teams with the visibility, and autonomy they need to truly be effective when remote. Instead call “multiple plays” in each action item clearly identifying actions, choices, and team members involved in each. This approach keeps remote teams more productive, better aligned, and happier.

Check back here soon to learn about my 4th Rule: Wrap-It-Up like a Pro

If you enjoyed this read, and you’re looking for more insights into how to set-up and run highly-effective remote teams then visit WeAreScatterbrain.com.

About Scatterbrain: Scatterbrain is a boutique consultancy helping companies unlock the full potential of remote teams. We’re rethinking how remote teams operate to maximize employee happiness, team effectiveness, and business impact.

Originally published at https://wearescatterbrain.com on July 30, 2019.