Daily Standup
Standup Meeting / Daily Scrum
The Daily Standup is a brief daily meeting (maximum 15 minutes) where each team member answers three questions: what I did yesterday, what I will do today, is anything blocking me. The purpose is to synchronize the team, not to solve problems.
How it works #
Each person has about two minutes for their update. Problems are flagged but not discussed: resolution happens afterwards, between the people involved. The time constraint is what makes the standup effective — without it, it degenerates into a 45-minute status meeting.
What it’s for #
It keeps the team aligned on project status, surfaces blockers before they become critical, and creates a daily rhythm that gives structure to the work. A well-managed standup replaces dozens of emails and Slack messages.
What can go wrong #
The degeneration pattern is predictable: the first week it lasts 15 minutes, the third week 35, the fourth week the team starts skipping it. The most common causes are “thread killers” (technical discussions between two people while others wait), improvised demos, and managers asking probing questions.