Andrew Pallant

Are stand-ups a Waste of time for developers?   I used to think so.  I have been doing stand-ups for the past two months and I now think they are brilliant!

I used to absolutely refuse to do stand-up meetings as a manager, because I believed they were a waste of time.   I thought them to be a disruption to everyone’s morning and too short to accomplish anything. I was challenged to try them by other managers and so accepted the challenge.   I was surprised!   They are not a waste of time.

I do a stand-up everyday with each team and limited to 10 minutes each as early in the morning as possible.  I ask 3 questions to each team member:

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What are you doing today?
3. Do you have issues that anyone can help you with?  – Are you stuck?

What I learned from doing stand-ups is I can catch issues before they arise.   I can help someone before they spin on a problem too long.  The team can help each other and I know what is going on all the time.

In short…    I will do stand-ups as long as I am in the position to do so.  They help everyone.  Stand-ups are not a waste of time if you make them meaningful and limited time.