Not another meeting!
Did you know that, on average, employees spent more than 50% of their workweek in meetings in 2022? Imagine that! Thank God for daily and weekly stand-ups! What are they, you ask? Well, they are meetings held for a short period of time to ensure that employees spend more time completing their tasks than attending meetings. Want to know more about them and which is better? Dive right in.
Let’s talk about daily stand-ups first
Daily stand-ups are meetings held for a brief period of time to list out the progress made on the last working day and identify any blockers obstructing it. Typically, the meeting takes place with all participants standing. Why, you ask. Well, let us ask you a question first.
What do you do when you are running late for work and haven’t had your breakfast - Do you sit down to eat peacefully, or do you grab something to munch on while you’re on the way to office? Right. That is exactly why daily stand-ups are not held sitting but, standing.
Standing while attending the meeting ensures that it is short - only up to 15 minutes and each participant speaks only on matters relevant to the discussion.
- 1.What did you work on yesterday?
- 2.What are you working on today?
- 3.Are there any blockers?
The time employees save by having such brief meetings can be used to actually get productive work done.
Daily stand-ups are held at the same time every day, usually early in the morning. This helps the team plan their tasks around the meeting. Having it earlier in the day also ensures that team members are able to resolve their doubts before they get running.
And, if you want your team to run in full gear, you can simply automate the stand-up.
Sup Bot, a standup bot for Slack, Microsoft teams, and Webex enables you to run standup meetings asynchronously. You can achieve this by simply setting the hour at which you want your team members to report on the 3 questions.
Add to Slack
Add to Teams
Add to Webex
Sup will pop up the questions on the messaging platform that team members can answer - quickly and asynchronously.
The asynchronous feature allows remote team members and those from different time zones to participate at their ease. In order to make these stand-ups more efficient, Sup also allows you to mention the person you need attention or support from. This feature notifies the user and you receive a reply from them soonest.
Now, weekly stand-up meetings
So far, we have learnt how important daily planning is. And when there is so much happening daily, it becomes crucial to take stock of the past week and plan for the upcoming week. This is exactly what a weekly stand-up does.
But, how do weekly standups work? Well, weekly stand up meeting require employees to spend some time - usually about 10 minutes - to jot down all that they accomplished in the past week, the hurdles they faced and their plan for the coming week. This is sent over email to all the team members so that everyone is updated on each other’s weekly progress. Some organizations also choose to meet physically or virtually once a week to have a weekly standup meeting.
If you wish to have weekly stand-ups over email, you must be prepared for the delay in the back-and-forth that you can get caught in. Physical or virtual meetings accord you the possibility of instant communication but require everyone to be present at the same time. If you’d want to simplify the entire process while getting it done in minutes, choose Sup.
Simply create a stand-up, set it to run weekly and voila, you’re all set!
Your team members receive it on the messaging platform and understand how to work better for the next sprint in the current week.
Now, guess what the best day to have a weekly standup would be? Yep, you got it right. Monday. Having it on a Monday gives everyone a chance to share what they did the past week and their plans for the current week. This sets everyone up to work efficiently and with clarity.
Moreover, planning to have it at the end of the week will make you the recipient of death stares from your team members when all they want to do on a Friday is wrap up and get ready for the weekend. Decide for yourself if you’d want that.
Daily stand-ups vs Weekly stand-ups - The face-off
Now, who doesn’t like a gritty face-off? And this time, we have with us two strong contenders. We have been reading about them. First, we have the Daily Stand-up and against it, we have the Weekly Stand-up. Here are 4 rounds coming your way live!
- 1.The motive behind having a daily standup is to provide the team with a vital unifying force every day, while the goal of weekly stand-ups is to provide a bird’s eye view of the team’s weekly progress.
- 2.Daily stand-ups do not concern themselves with elaborate plans for future. They only focus on what you worked on the day before and what you intend to work on the present day. This is not the same for weekly stand-ups since, they discuss the accomplishments of the past week and thoughtfully plan for the upcoming week.
- 3.Daily stand-ups last up to 15 minutes max, giving each member about a minute to speak. This short duration enables team members to stick to the agenda for the meeting - the 3 questions:
However, weekly stand-ups typically take more than 15 minutes. This duration allows team members to reflect on their progress made in the past week and plan the next week carefully.
What did you work on yesterday?What are you working on today?Are there any blockers?
The verdict
This seems to be a tough one. Who would you make the winner? Well, honestly speaking, your decision should solely be based on your team’s needs and preferences. More so because daily and weekly stand-ups serve different but correlated purposes.
You may choose to have your stand-ups daily, weekly or even in a hybrid manner. Picture this - you hold asynchronous stand-ups daily with Sup and hold online or offline meetings once a week. Works for you? Well, a tweak here and there does make a lot of things work. Don’t believe us? Try it out for yourself!
Frequently asked questions
1. What is the purpose of a weekly standup meeting?
A weekly standup meeting serves as a quick and efficient way for team members to align on the progress made in the past week, identify any roadblocks, and set priorities for the upcoming week. It's an opportunity for everyone to stay updated and ensure that the team is working cohesively towards common goals.
2. What is the difference between weekly and daily meetings?
Weekly meetings are designed for long-term planning and addressing broader issues that require more discussion and strategizing. They allow teams to reflect on the past week's accomplishments and set goals for the upcoming week. On the other hand, daily meetings, often called stand-ups or scrums, focus on short-term planning, providing quick updates on daily progress, and resolving immediate issues. They are brief check-ins to ensure everyone is on track and to quickly address any obstacles that might impede daily work.
3. What is the difference between weekly and daily stand-ups?
Daily stand-ups focus on the day-to-day progress of team members, providing quick updates on what was accomplished the previous day, what is planned for the current day, and identifying any immediate roadblocks. These meetings are typically brief, lasting around 15 minutes. In contrast, weekly stand-ups take a broader view, planning for the upcoming week and reviewing the overall progress made in the past week. Weekly stand-ups are generally longer, allowing for more in-depth discussion and strategic planning.
4. What is a weekly stand-up?
A weekly stand-up is a recurring meeting held once a week where team members come together to review the progress made over the past week, plan for the upcoming week, and address any challenges or roadblocks. It's a time for the team to align on goals, discuss any significant developments, and ensure everyone is on the same page for the week ahead.
5. What are the three questions in a stand-up?
The three questions typically asked in a daily stand-up meeting are:
- What did you work on yesterday?
- What will you work on today?
- Are there any blockers or obstacles preventing you from making progress?
