[mindcrime]

Standups are about physically looking each other in the eye, figuring out where everybody is, and figuring out if you can help. It's not information, and it's really not discussion.

I don't know... for most "here's what I did yesterday, here's what I'm doing today, here are my blockers" type meetings, I don't see that "look 'em in the eye" is that critical and certainly not on a daily basis. At least that's been my experience. Maybe if you're trying to read body language to see if somebody is more afraid than they're letting on, or to try and pick up if somebody is sandbagging or something. But that's why I advocate for a compromise of cutting the meatspace meetings back a little in frequency (but not necessarily eliminating them) and replacing some of the meetings with a technology solution.

The standups do have a cost, even the ones that stick to the short and sweet "nobody talks more than 2 minutes and we're out of here in 15" ones. For example, they still force a context switch, and depending on when in the day they are scheduled, they can really f%!# with somebody's ability to get into - and stay in - "flow state".

[mbesto]

Context switching from what? If you're standup is first thing when you get into the office, your context switch is from a cup of coffee.

they can really f%!# with somebody's ability to get into - and stay in - "flow state"

I call BS. I can't for the life of me, find one consistent thing that can either get me into or get me out of a state of flow. It just happens. If you know the answer than I can create and scale the most perfect team of human engineers ever on this planet.

[mindcrime]

Context switching from what?

Depends on what time it's scheduled, and what time you come in. Could be anything.

If you're standup is first thing when you get into the office, your context switch is from a cup of coffee.

Absolutely. And if every member of your team arrives at the same time, and that time happens to coincide with "time to grab a cup of coffee then beat it to the room for the meeting" then sure, that makes sense. I haven't found that to be the case for most of the teams I've worked on.

I call BS. I can't for the life of me, find one consistent thing that can either get me into or get me out of a state of flow.

I can't identify one specific thing to get into flow state, but I can give you a laundry list of things that will break my "flow" once I get there. And having to go to a meeting is pretty much at the top of the list. shrug