Are you someone who has landed the first job and does not know how daily stand-ups work or an experienced job-holder who feels they could contribute to the daily stand-ups better? If the answer is yes, then give this blog a read. Discover how you can effectively prepare yourself for a daily stand-up as a participant in the 7 steps below.
7 steps to prepare for the daily stand-up meeting
1. Take at least 8-10 minutes before the stand-up meeting to give yourself enough time for preparation.
Taking out enough time for preparation is important if you want to prepare well. You can choose to start your preparation early for the first few times to see what duration works for you. For some, the duration will be shorter, and for others, it can take longer. However, if we had to decide on an ideal duration, we think 10 minutes would be fine. Here's why.
If you allotted yourself only 3 minutes to prepare for the 3 questions in the stand-up meeting, chances are you’d have to run to join the meeting while you aren't even half done with the prep. And a duration above 10 minutes too seems difficult to block because you might be occupied with various other engagements. But if you can do so, great! So, deciding on a doable duration, we think 10 minutes should be an appropriate duration to prepare effectively.
2. Go through the tasks you worked on the previous day.
First and foremost, review what you worked on the day before. Going through the items you worked on yesterday carefully quickly brings to mind the entire day's work in a flash. Recalling the previous day's process helps you remember the hiccups you experienced while working. If these tasks happen to be still in progress, make sure you note down somewhere the impediments you faced the previous day so that you can mention each of them during the stand-up meeting today and get them resolved later.
While doing this, you've gained two things:
- A draft answer to the first question of a standard standup meeting format: What did you do yesterday?
- A partial draft answer to the last question of a stand-up meeting agenda: Any blockers?
3. Check the existing tasks in the sprint and formulate the plan for today.
When you are done checking your previous tasks, check how much time you will require to finish the unfinished ones. If you think they will not take the entire day today, check the next tasks assigned to you on the task board.
While deciding on the tasks you will take up for today - whether the unfinished ones from the previous day or the ones assigned - consider their priority (or deadlines).
Answer the following questions to yourself to decide better:
- Which tasks require them to be delivered sooner than the others?
- Can the current task wait?
- How long will the current task take?
Once you have decided on the tasks for today, you have the draft of the second stand-up question of a typical standup meeting format: What will you work on today? - ready.
4. List down the assistance you will need throughout the day.
So, you're done with creating the task list for today. Now, go through the entire process and, preferably, all the minute steps that you will take to complete the tasks for today. Note down, point-wise, all the assistance or clarifications you will need to sail through the day smoothly. For a more helpful note, also write down beside each point who is the source of information for the help you require.
For example, today you will be working on designing the company logo for a new client. But you do not yet have a clear set of brand guidelines sent to you. And it is your manager who is in contact with the client. So, you will be making a note of this as - Blocker 1: Need brand guidelines from the client, Source of information: Manager.
By doing the above, you have added to the draft answer for your third stand-up question - Do you have any blockers?
5. Frame the answers to stand-up questions, considering the meeting's purpose.
Now that you have a rough sketch of what to say in the stand-up meeting, it is time that you mold them according to the requirements of a standup meeting format, i.e., modify them to make them concise so that the team can wrap up the meeting within 15 minutes.
So, the first step to refining your answers is to know how much time is allotted to you to report your progress during the stand-up meetings. You would generally have an idea about this from having attended the meetings. Next, write down each answer, making them as concise as possible to fit into the allotted time duration.
The go-to thought while doing this is dividing the allotted time duration by the total number of questions and fitting each answer into the single divided duration. But that isn't practical because some days you will have more accomplished tasks to report, and some days you will have more impediments to mention. So, because of such variability, it is best to frame your answers every day to fit into the time duration.
Those new to the stand-up meetings can try reading their answers aloud while keeping track of the allotted time.
6. Reach the meeting room early or ensure the proper functioning of laptop gear and the internet.
Once you are ready with your preparation, you wouldn't want to let them go to waste, right? So, make sure you join the stand-up meeting on time.
If you're attending a physical meeting, reach the meeting space early. In case the stand-up meetings in your company are run virtually using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or any other video conference tool, ensure that you do not have to attend anywhere else during that time-for personal or professional commitments. Either you will end up joining the meeting late and making everyone wait, or you will multitask and then not be able to be present in the meeting with complete focus.
Another thing you must do while attending a virtual daily stand-up meeting is to ensure that your laptop microphone and camera are functioning properly and that you have an uninterrupted internet connection. Because if these fail you, you will have little to do even after such thorough preparation.
Joining the meeting late also sets you up for nervous and hurried participation, affecting your focus. This can lead you to fumble when answering the stand-up questions, making all the hard work go in vain.
7. Set the intention to listen during the meeting actively.
You are prepared with your stand-up answers and have joined the meeting on time. Now, it is also important that you respect your team members' preparation and set the intention to listen. This is also essential because some updates from other team members may hold relevance for you.
To do so, set your phone on silent mode, and if working remotely, shut your room windows if you reside in a busy neighborhood. Doing this ensures that you remain focused throughout the meeting, and in case your mic is not muted, you also do not unintentionally interrupt the team member reporting their progress.
Additionally, to ensure you do not have to ping a team member again after the meeting for a progress update you cannot recall, sit with a notebook and take notes on all updates that are important to you.
Active listening is the key to ensuring you are a good contributor to the daily stand-up meetings.
Transform stand-up meetings using Sup Bot.
The right tool can prove to be an incredible addition to your workflow. The same is true for your daily stand-up meetings. Sup Bot is a tool that streamlines your daily stand-up meeting process through automation and asynchronous communication. This means that there are no traditional standup meetings (physical or virtual) happening with everyone present together, and you can answer your standup questions and send them to your team by simply typing them down to the bot in the official communication tool like Slack, MS Teams, etc of your company.
Standup bots simplify daily standup meetings in myriad ways for standup participants and also give numerous benefits to managers. Get set to transform your daily standup meetings with Sup Bot today!
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Look, preparing for a stand-up meeting is not a task. Deciding to prepare is. Because with a meeting this short, we are likely to think that it is not important to get ourselves prepared. But, is it not? You will only be able to find out if you try it out. So, go give it a shot. What's there to lose?
