Joffrey Zehnder ERNI

Joffrey Zehnder
Principal Consultant

 

A daily standup meeting, according to The Scrum Guide, is a 15-minute scheduled event for the development team to organise themselves for the next 24 hours.

The team answers three standard questions: What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? Is there anything blocking your progress?

What are the common pitfalls for the success of dailies?

 

Time use efficiency

This factor is not only based on the communication habits of the team but also on the moderation skills of the Scrum Master. Some of the team members’ problems require more time for discussion. Here the Scrum Master has to decide whether the topic should be discussed to the end or if he should stop the discussion and continue after the daily. From our practice, we tend to use the second solution – the so-called “16th minute” to discuss the issues only with the needed team members.

Sometimes team members cannot get their thoughts to the point quickly. In this case the Scrum Master must help.

The “16th minute” usually lasts another quarter of an hour and can already be scheduled by the Scrum Master, i.e. sent out as an appointment.

 

Alignment of the time of the dailies

If several teams are working together, e.g. in a Scrum of Scrums or SAFe® setup, and there are dependencies between each other, the dailies should take place within the same time window. In our experience, in the morning from 9 to 11 is a good time window. This ensures that the required information from all teams is available for a possible Scrum Master exchange later.

In addition, 9 to 11 is a time window that suits most developers, especially those who start later.

 

Unprepared team members

For a daily to be efficient, team members should be prepared. This means that the tasks and stories are updated before the daily, the cards are moved to the correct status and each member is already thinking about what he or she wants to say.

In our experience, it’s also a good idea to change the order of speaking to ensure the daily is dynamic.

 

Scrum Master only as a moderator, not a micromanager

The Daily is there so that the team find out from each other who is working on what. It is explicitly not meant as an opportunity to report the status of the team to the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master is “only” the coach and moderator. This also means that he does not assign work to the team and that the team members are not accountable to him. The team should be self-organised and the Scrum Master supports and coaches the team on this.

 

 

Would you like to get a consultation on how to work in an Agile way?

Better ask Joffrey

News from ERNI

In our newsroom, you find all our articles, blogs and series entries in one place.

  • 22.11.2023.
    Newsroom

    Recognising trends: An insight into regression analysis

    Data plays a very important role in every area of a company. When it comes to data, a distinction is made primarily between operational data and dispositive data. Operational data play an important role, especially in day-to-day business. However, they are not nearly as relevant as dispositive data. This is because these data are collected over a longer period of time and provide an initial insight into the history or the past.

  • 08.11.2023.
    Newsroom

    Why do we need digital transformation for medical devices?

    For hospitals, it is not up for discussion as to whether they want to digitalise. The increasing age of the population in western countries and the progressive shortage of medical professionals mean that without digitalisation, the healthcare system will not be able to provide the quality that patients want in the future.

  • 25.10.2023.
    Newsroom

    Mastering the challenges of mobile app testing: Strategies for efficient quality assurance

    Discover the unique challenges faced in testing mobile applications and learn how to overcome them effectively. From selecting suitable devices and operating systems to leveraging cloud-based test platforms, test automation and emulators, this article provides seven essential strategies for optimising your mobile app testing process.

  • 11.10.2023.
    Newsroom

    Incorporating classical requirements engineering methods in agile software development for a laboratory automation system

    Traditional agile methodologies can sometimes struggle to accommodate the complexity and regulatory requirements of laboratory automation systems, leading to misalignment with stakeholder needs, scope creep, and potential delays. The lack of comprehensive requirements documentation can result in ambiguous expectations and hinder effective communication among cross-functional teams.

  • 27.09.2023.
    Newsroom

    Unveiling the power of data: Part III – Navigating challenges and harnessing insights in data-driven projects

    Transforming an idea into a successful machine learning (ML)-based product involves navigating various challenges. In this final part of our series, we delve into two crucial aspects: ensuring 24/7 operation of the product and prioritising user experience (UX).

  • 13.09.2023.
    Newsroom

    Exploring Language Models: An overview of LLMs and their practical implementation

    Generative AI models have recently amazed with unprecedented outputs, such as hyper-realistic images, diverse music, coherent texts, and synthetic videos, sparking excitement. Despite this progress, addressing ethical and societal concerns is crucial for responsible and beneficial utilization, guarding against issues like misinformation and manipulation in this AI-powered creative era.

  • 01.09.2023.
    Newsroom

    Peter Zuber becomes the new Managing Director of ERNI Switzerland

    ERNI is setting an agenda for growth and innovation with the appointment of Peter Zuber as Managing Director of the Swiss business unit. With his previous experience and expertise, he will further expand the positioning of ERNI Switzerland, as a leading consulting firm for software development and digital innovation.

  • data230.08.2023.
    Newsroom

    Unveiling the power of data: Part II – Navigating challenges and harnessing insights in data-driven projects

    The second article from the series on data-driven projects, explores common challenges that arise during their execution. To illustrate these concepts, we will focus on one of ERNI’s latest project called GeoML. This second article focuses on the second part of the GeoML project: Idea2Proof.