Say Yes to New Adventures

"Daily Standup meeting is the easiest. It’s a short 15-minute meeting with preset questions for the team to answer." - Jay

Last week, I conducted a mock interview for Jay, who's aspiring for an Agile Project Manager role. Among the many topics we explored, our discussion on the Daily Standup Meeting stood out as the most captivating. 

Before we dive into the conversation, I want you to take a moment. Close your eyes and think about the questions you might ask to delve deeper into the Daily Standup meeting. This exercise will help you understand how to open up a topic during an interview.

Ready? Let’s begin.

Me: Jay, which Scrum event do you find the easiest to execute and why?

Jay: I’d say the Daily Standup meeting is the easiest. It’s a short 15-minute meeting with preset questions for the team to answer.

Me: Indeed, it’s the shortest Scrum event. But many people struggle with it. Why do you think that is?

Jay: Sometimes, when the team isn’t mature enough, issues arise. For example, team members might not show up, they might provide too much detail, or they might get into long technical discussions. But these are routine challenges every Agile Project Manager should know how to handle.

Me: I agree. Last week, a team member told me he feels the Standup meeting is just a status meeting. What’s your take on that?

Jay: In a way, yes. It’s a sync meeting where the team shares updates and unblocks each other. So it’s a status meeting, but also an unblocking meeting.

Me: Hmm… But why do we need a status meeting?

Jay: It’s important to know who has achieved what and who is stuck. It’s also a time to update the board.

Me: Hmm… But can’t we get the status by having the team fill in an Excel sheet or send a message via Slack or Teams?

Jay: Yes, that’s possible. Many of us are remote, so this method works. I’ve done it for a few teams I’ve managed.

Me: I’ve seen many people doing that. So if an Excel sheet can do the job, then we can do away with the Daily Standup meeting, right?

Jay: We can, for a remote team. But for a co-located team, we should meet.

Me: Okay. Why is meeting important when a simple Excel sheet serves the purpose?

Jay: How would the team raise blockers, and how would other team members collaborate and help each other? Collaboration is key.

Me: Collaboration is indeed key to success. But from what you’re saying, there are alternative ways to run the Daily Standup, making the meeting optional. Correct?

Jay: Yes, that’s correct.

Me: But why do you think the Scrum Guide mentions the Daily Standup as a Scrum event? Do you think it relates to the Agile Manifesto?

Jay: I’m not sure about that. It’s been a long time since I read the Agile Manifesto.

Me: That’s okay. It’s been ages since I read it too. Anyway, can we conclude that we can skip the Standup meeting and save 15 minutes per person? Instead, we could use an Excel sheet to run the Standup.

Jay: Yes, kind of. But how will we unblock the team? We will have to meet for that, right?

This last question led us into another topic. But I want to pause here. I found this conversation about the Daily Standup meeting intriguing. By turning the interview into more of a conversation, I gained valuable insights into Jay’s perspective.

Now, I want to ask you: Based on this conversation, 

Would you hire Jay? 

Whether your answer is yes or no, please explain your reasoning in the comments below.

If you want to master this topic and run Daily Standup Meeting like a pro, consider joining my Agile Project Manager course. Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your skills!