I’m starting to get my feet wet with Twitter…I’ll admit I was (perhaps still am) a little sceptical, but it did inspire me to write this short blog on something that, for those who have been practising Agile for some time, tend to take for granted…the stand-ups. While this topic has probably been blogged to death, here is my perspective on what the stand-up (or scrum) should be.
First and foremost, keep it short…if it goes longer than 15 minutes, then something is wrong. Have a clock in the room so that you start on time, and finish within that 15 minute window. Be militant about this. In that 15 minutes (or less) each developer should have the opportunity to discuss what they have finished (since the last meeting), what is next on their plate, and if they have any roadblocks preventing them from doing anything. This meeting is not the time for Bob to ask Mary what the different options need to be in the new UI they’re designing…break that out into a separate meeting.
A couple of other minor things about stand-ups…as a product manager, I always tried to be at as many as possible to lend support for the team, and to just be available for them. Secondly, feel free to make the stand-ups open to anyone in the company…but as observers only…for those of you familiar with the chicken and pig story, remember, these observers are chickens and as such, should stay silent in this meeting.
There is certainly more that could be discussed about stand-ups , but my clock is showing me that I’m out of time…
Technorati Tags: agile, scrum, stand up, product management
About the Author: Todd Landry
Todd Landry, a Senior Product Manager at Klocwork, is responsible for guiding product direction and ensuring its fit with customer's preferred development processes. With more than 13 years of experience in software product management, he has worked with numerous Agile teams and projects. Todd is a Professional Engineer and a Certified Scrum Product Owner. In his spare time, Todd enjoys golfing, playing hockey, and snowboarding. Related Posts
-
What’s the Right Iteration Length?
The question of “what’s the right iteration length” may not be as interesting as any of the questions found... -
Is Pure Agile Always an Option?
Over the past few years I’ve talked to a number of customers in the embedded software and medical devices industries, and I... -
And the word of the day is… docragination
I came to the practice of procrastination late in life. I was always one of those annoying people who arrived for appointments...
