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by irrational
1032 days ago
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I’ve rarely see stand ups end in 15 minutes. I’ve had stand ups that drag out for two and a half hours. When I say I need to go to get work done, I’m told this is work and you need to stay. So… many… meetings. And then I’m asked why I didn’t get my things done this sprint. Gee? I wonder why? |
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If you ask a developer to talk about what they did yesterday, their instinct will be to waffle on, go into all sorts of interesting details, reflect on decisions they made, voice various concerns, etc. If you ask a whole team what they did, and they follow their instincts, you will have a long, boring, low-value meeting.
If the developers have a discipline of reporting only the most important things they can fit into two minutes - whether through self-discipline, or discipline imposed by a strict and heartless overlord - then you will have a short and effective meeting.
Discipline does not appear out of thin air! It has to be intentionally cultivated or imposed. Many teams don't do either. I think some just don't understand that this discipline is required; it simply doesn't occur to them that they should avoid waffling, because every standup they've ever seen is full of waffling. Others intellectually understand that they should follow that discipline, but their brain hasn't connected to their glands, so they don't actually do it, and they don't have a leader cruel enough to impose it.
The best example i have seen was at my first full-time programming job. We ended up with a team of about twenty developers, mostly senior. There was a tendency to waffling. Luckily, our team lead was an absolute bastard, who had no problem controlling it. First rule, stand in a circle. Second rule, stand next to the person you paired with yesterday. Third rule, if you are the first in your pair to speak, you have two minutes to say what you did and anything that others should know. The boss will have a timer running, and will cut you off without ceremony at the two minute mark. Fourth rule, if you are the second in your pair to speak, say "nothing to add", unless you do, in which case do it quickly. Fifth rule, if you have something you desperately want to say that will take you over two minutes, tell people you will send an email about it. Twenty people, ten pairs, twenty-minute standup, like clockwork.
So, if you are suffering from long and waffling standups, and if you also have retros, raise it at the retro. Ask people "do you think standups are too long?". Await the chorus of agreement. Tell them that the only solution is to strictly limit the amount of time people speak for. Some will complain that they have too many important things to say to be limited. Remind them that a limit is the only solution. Some will still complain. Bully them into submission or have them fired. Go on to enjoy fast and satisfying standups.