Quick definition: Typically a 15-minute morning meeting where team members share "what I did yesterday, what I'll do today, what's blocking me."
Three questions
In a classic stand-up, each team member answers three questions:
- What did I do yesterday?
- What will I do today?
- Is anything blocking me?
The third question is the most important — to flag "blockers" to the team. After stand-up, the relevant people meet separately to resolve the block.
Why standing?
The name comes from this: it's held standing up so it doesn't run long. 15 minutes is the target. Sitting down, conversations easily stretch to 45.
For remote teams, standing up is no longer required, but the brevity principle still applies.
Making stand-ups effective
1. Same time every morning. A fixed time like 9:30. Routine is half the battle.
2. No detailed discussion. If a topic needs a long conversation, take it offline after the stand-up.
3. Whole team attends. Otherwise, stand-up becomes information sharing instead of coordination.