5 Daily Stand-up Meeting Practices to Follow in Agile Software Development
Published: 2023-12-20 10:17:13

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0byhj95n5p7lkvrv1xxt.png)
Daily stand-up meetings are an integral part of agile practices, with [87% of agile practitioners utilizing them](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316114233_Are_Daily_Stand-up_Meetings_Valuable_A_Survey_of_Developers_in_Software_Teams) (getting 87% of people to agree on ANYTHING is no small feat!)

**Agile methods introduced the daily stand-up meeting (DSM) to enhance communication in software development projects.** These meetings provide a platform for team members to:

- Share their progress
- Discuss challenges
- Align on the next steps

However, stand-up meetings can become unproductive due to a lack of focus, prolonged durations (this is the real killer), unnecessary details, poor participation, and a lack of clear actionable takeaways.

**So, how do you avoid these traps?** 

As a long-time participant in such meetings (having seen the good and the bad, and there is a lot of bad), I have learned that ensuring stand-up meetings are concise, having a clear agenda, and concluding with definitive action items are crucial to making them productive.

The key to this is proper preparation. You might have heard the adage, “Proper preparation prevents p*ss poor performance”. Well, this is no different. 

Many teams struggle with unproductive meetings due to a lack of preparation. I strongly recommend utilizing technology and digital solutions to overcome this challenge and keep everyone on track.

**Why technology and digital solutions?** 

Because we are all overwhelmed at work… 

And let’s not lie to ourselves. Even our best intentions fall apart because something more important comes up or a false sense of urgency is created around a specific deliverable, and your preparation goes out the window. 

So, given we are well into the age of software and AI, use it to your advantage… 

In this guide, I will share some best practices and offer tips for teams to maximize the benefits of daily stand-up meetings.

## **1. Keep Things Short and Sweet**

One of the most important best practices is to keep the daily stand-up meeting brief. **These meetings should last no more than 10 to 20 minutes** (yell that out for those in the back who like to hijack your standup and turn it into an hour-long deep dive, taking everyone in the meeting hostage in the process). 

Prolonged sessions can lead to a loss of focus and effectiveness.

**The meeting's purpose is to provide a quick update on each team member's progress and identify any blockers or challenges that must be addressed.** Nothing more. 

Team members should be able to quickly share their updates and move on to the next task.

### **Mind the Clock**

To keep meetings brief, ensure you know what everyone on the team is working on. This is where **digital solutions like monday dev, Jira, or Notion can help your team collaborate and visualize the development workflow and stages.**

Personally, I use monday dev by monday.com

The [board views feature on monday dev](https://support.monday.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001267945-The-board-views/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=5_daily_stand_up_meeting_practices_to_follow_in_agile_software_development&utm_term=queueVTA_link_1) facilitates short stand-up meetings by visualizing tasks and workflows. **Each view allows for quick status updates and informed decision-making.** It minimizes the need for lengthy discussions.

The views available on monday dev include:

- Charts for analytics
- Gantt for project timelines
- Calendars for deadlines
- Kanban for prioritizing tasks

**The variety allows you to customize functions to suit your team and development needs.** 

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/croiu2s5zbg6o3vmsydt.png)

Teams should schedule the meeting at a consistent time (such as first thing in the morning or right after lunch). 

Forming a routine by **holding the daily stand-up meeting at the same time and place allows your meeting to become an expected part of the workday.**

By doing so, team members can plan the rest of their workday accordingly (and build some habits into their days and weeks). 

## 2. Stick to the Agenda

Having **a clear agenda is essential for an effective daily stand-up meeting** (or any meeting for that matter). The agenda should include a set of predefined questions that each team member must answer. 

**Below are some frameworks that you might like to use:**

A) The 1-2-3-4 framework:

- What did I accomplish yesterday?
- What am I working on today?
- What are my blockers?
- What do I need help with?

B) The ATOM framework:

- Action: What did you do?
- Tasks: What are you working on?
- Obstacles: What are your roadblocks?
- Measures: How will you know you're successful?

**Sticking to the agenda** helps to ensure that the meeting stays focused, all necessary information is gathered, and all team members are aligned with the project goals and targets.

## 3. Focus on Collaboration

**Daily stand-up meetings are an excellent opportunity for team members to collaborate and support one another.**

Teams should use these meetings to identify areas where they can assist each other and work together to overcome challenges.

**By fostering collaboration, teams can improve their overall efficiency and achieve better results.**

You can use monday dev to help you make your meetings more collaborative with the [Column feature](https://support.monday.com/hc/en-us/articles/115005466609-The-basics-of-columns/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=5_daily_stand_up_meeting_practices_to_follow_in_agile_software_development&utm_term=queueVTA_link_2). **With the monday dev column feature, you can**:

- Use the "person column" to **assign tasks and clarify responsibilities**.
- Utilize the "status column" to **visually track progress and boost motivation**.
- Take advantage of the "timeline column" to **visualize project alignment and workloads**.
- Use the "date + deadline" function to **set clear deadlines and track their progress**.

By implementing these strategies, **teams can foster a more involved, productive, and deadline-conscious environment.**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u4me7nt302tqhn0lrgvi.png)

## **4. Avoid Lengthy Discussions**

**Stand-up meetings should not include lengthy discussions**. If a topic requires more attention, **the discussion should be tabled and added to the agenda of the correct meeting** (that only the relevant team members will attend).

This ensures that the meeting stays focused and all team members can provide updates without getting bogged down in detailed discussions.

**A tool like monday dev can enhance stand-up meetings by focusing on [high-level objectives rather than individual tasks](https://monday.com/blog/productivity/standup-meetings-done-right/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=5_daily_stand_up_meeting_practices_to_follow_in_agile_software_development&utm_term=queueVTA_link_3).**

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jakd0aqmkck3ygjauluv.png)

Such platforms allow for the display and real-time update of the 'Big Picture,' which includes high-level goals and deadlines, visible to the entire team.

**This promotes transparency, encourages team engagement, and helps team members understand the importance of their work in the context of the company's objectives!**

## **5. Include Only Relevant Team Members**

This should go without saying. It’s simply proper meeting etiquette in the corporate world. Everyone has a LOT on their plate, and every precious minute counts. 

You don’t want to lengthen the meeting (or waste anyone’s time) by including unnecessary members.

**Typically, the scrum team should attend, but other team members may also be included depending on the project's needs.**

Use [Gantt charts](https://monday.com/blog/project-management/everything-you-want-to-know-about-gantt-charts/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=5_daily_stand_up_meeting_practices_to_follow_in_agile_software_development&utm_term=queueVTA_link_4) and [Burndown charts](https://monday.com/blog/project-management/burndown-chart/?utm_source=devto&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=5_daily_stand_up_meeting_practices_to_follow_in_agile_software_development&utm_term=queueVTA_link_5) to make it easy to **differentiate between who needs to be in the stand-up meeting and who can be updated separately** with key takeaways after the meeting. 

## **Use Technology to Your Advantage**

**Daily stand-up meetings are an essential part of agile methodology** in software development. **They help improve communication within teams and can increase productivity and project success.**

These meetings **should be kept short, well-structured, and focused.** 

Using the right technology can help make these meetings more efficient and productive. By combining these practices with digital solutions, daily stand-ups can become even more effective and help drive teams forward.

I hope you found this helpful! Do you have any other daily stand-up tips? Drop them in the comments!