Two stand-ups a day

For a long time now we have run 2 stand-ups every day, first thing in the morning and first thing after lunch, always at the same times and always around the board.

The morning stand-up discusses the work-in-progress and allows the team to co-ordinate their efforts to get stuff done. It usually lasts no longer than 10 to 15 minutes and starts from the top of the board and works downwards to cover any defects followed by the user stories, debt and design work. People stand in a semicircle and face the board. Each story owner steps out front, faces everyone, and speaks about progress on their card. In terms of the acceptance criteria on the reverse side they describe the current focus and the next steps. They also share what they've learned and what has consequently changed in the story. When progress on a story is obstructed a pink Post-it note is stuck to the card, which says BLOCKED and includes a brief description of the impediment. When all the stories and impediments have been discussed the team forms pairs to work on the cards.

The afternoon stand-up is usually done in less than 5 minutes and focuses on rolling the ownership of stories and arranging new pairs. It's also an opportunity for people to provide updates on anything significant that had occurred during the morning.

Labels: standup

Posted by Simon Baker @ permalink