Making Your Daily Scrums More Effective
While the purpose, timebox and participants of the Daily Scrum are well-defined, we sometimes see Scrum Teams deviate away from its purpose. This can result in the Scrum Team falling into antipatterns that diminish the value of the event. It is important for teams not to fall into these traps in order to ensure their work moves forward. The following are common antipatterns which serve as examples of what NOT to do during your Daily Scrum.
Common antipatterns include:
- The Scrum Master runs the meeting as a status meeting, asking everyone to update on their progress on tasks.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
The Daily Scrum is a working meeting for the Developers to help ensure continued progress in the work they are performing. By approaching the Daily Scrum as simply a status meeting, the true purpose of the event will not be achieved.
- Team members become focused on only their own work and forget to be on the lookout for opportunities to help other team members.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
The intent of the Daily Scrum meeting is to enable and promote collaboration among the Developers.
- One or several Daily Scrum attendees habitually dominate the event.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
Successful collaboration only works if every team member is able to participate in the Daily Scrum meeting.
- Potential problems are not openly discussed by team members during the Daily Scrum and it sometimes takes until the end of the Sprint to find out that one or more team members are struggling.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
If the Daily Scrum is not a “safe” space for Developers to openly discuss their challenges, they will go unresolved until it’s too late.
- Daily Scrum attendees only use the three question format to conduct the meeting. (What did you do yesterday? What do you plan to do today? Do you have any blockers?)
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
While previous versions of the Scrum Guide suggested the three question format, it was removed when it was recognized that it encouraged a mechanical approach to the Daily Scrum. Teams should use whatever format works best for them to conduct the meeting to get the information they need.
- Developers only make changes to the Sprint Backlog at the Daily Scrum.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
The Sprint Backlog can be changed as soon as a needed update is identified. Information or actions should not be delayed due to waiting for an event to occur. The Daily Scrum can be used to help update the Developers about recent changes that were made.
- The Product Owner and Scrum Master are forbidden from going to the Daily Scrum, even if their participation would be useful.
Why is this an antipattern to avoid?
The Daily Scrum is a meeting for the Developers, the Scrum Team members that are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog. If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are working on Backlog items, then they participate in the Daily Scrum as Developers. Since there is no strict definition of how a Product Owner or Scrum Master actively works on Backlog Items, they can participate in the Daily Scrum if their participation would be beneficial.
Tips for Strong Daily Scrums:
Breaking the antipatterns listed above help create strong and effective Daily Scrums. Consider the following tips:
- Focus the meeting on the Sprint Goal and what is needed to achieve it
- Consider what value is being created toward the Sprint Goal. Create a safe space where everyone is comfortable in participating and can be open about any struggles or impediments
- Foster an environment where team members are eager to help one another
- The Scrum Master’s assistance is not required at the Daily Scrum, the Developers should manage the meeting and consistently meet its purpose
Resources:
Blog Post
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Blog Post
The Daily Scrum is an important Inspect and Adapt event for a Scrum team. Yet the purpose is often ignored and swept under the carpet by a multitude of teams.
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Blog Post
In my experience, the Daily Scrum is the Scrum event with the highest anti-pattern density among all events. Learn more about the Daily Scrum anti-patterns that threaten to derail your transition.
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Blog Post
The 2020 version of the Scrum Guide dropped the classic “three questions” of the Daily Scrum. Yet many teams stick with the practice, even when it doesn’t produce the collaboration that is the hallmark of a valuable Daily Scrum. When a Scrum Team I worked with said that their Daily Scrum was lacklus...
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Learning Series
To keep work moving smoothly, the Developers get together for 15 minutes every day to focus on the Sprint Goal and to plan the upcoming day’s work. During the Daily Scrum, they identify any issues they need help in resolving, ask for help when they need it and adjust the Sprint Backlog, if necessary.