Transforming Standups Into The Most Important Meeting
Transforming Standups
The Standup Dilemma
Agile teams need daily syncs to iterate, realign, and deliver value fast.
But agile standups require the right amount of focus and discipline. This battlecard describes how you can diagnose communication problems and onboard teams to change.
Companies Can’t Afford Bad Standups
2 minutes per day =
253 days per year
1600 USD
per meeting
According to Shopify, the average cost of a 30-minute meeting with 3 employees starts at 700-1,600 USD –and that’s excluding leadership roles.
Frustrated
developers
Even more concerning, surveys reveal that employees often find standup meetings unproductive. The actual time wasted could be significantly higher.
23 minutes and
15 seconds
Problem Statement
Daily standups are the most adopted ritual worldwide, frequently under the belief that short meetings can’t harm
the business.
But they can! Because of their brevity and frequency, a healthy and efficient practice doesn’t just happen.
Why Do Standups Fail?
Human communication works in clear patterns.
These 5 challenges show recurrently in all types and sizes of teams practicing agile standups.
Problem
NASA Feature
Overrunning Meetings
- Discussions go into tangents
- Improvisation without notes
- Anything not tracked in Jira risks going unnoticed
Daily Structure
- Written preparation drives more efficient updates
- Time-boxed turns
- Facilitation by Scrum Master
Irrelevant Updates
- The attendance of managers dominates the meeting
- Participants report how busy they are
- Focus on activity, not progress
Journaling Practice
- Journaling as a habit of curation
- Quickly pick suggested Jira issues
- Daily baseline assessments
No Active Listening
- Irrelevance prevents real collaboration
- Participants multitask instead of being invested
- When provided, relevant information is often overlooked
Meeting Mode
- Combination of spoken and written updates in-app
- Emoji reactions drive emotional engagement
- Flag any item for followup
Disruption
- Standup doesn’t prevent interruptions from additional meetings and DMs
- Developers can’t stay in a state of flow
- Task completion expands indefinitely
Hybrid Collaboration
- Participants can submit their update without attending every meeting
- Items flagged for followup reduce touch points
- Collaboration doesn’t obstacle focus work
Black Box
- Decisions and discussions are not documented
- No record of blockers
- No influence on colleagues who can’t attend for PTO or timezone differences
Team Journal
- The last 30 meetings are documented
- Blockers and discussions are recorded
- Non-participants can check what their team mates are working on
From dread to excellence:
mapping team transformations
We have mapped the journeys of teams practicing a classic inefficient standup, and compared it to high-performing teams using NASA.
What Ruins Standups
Motions
Degradation Journey
Attendance
sound like:
Report to me
Contribution
& productive
I am
Listening
Alignment
Nobody
helps
me
I don’t
help my
colleagues
The team doesn’t
collaborate
& align
Attitude
I reluctantly participate in standups knowing
that nothing good will come out of them
instead of asking
questions
Follow Up
What Saves Standups
Motions
NASA Journey
Attendance
Questions prompt
the team to
discuss needs
Contribution
Listening
My colleagues listen to me
about what I communicate
Alignment
I help my
colleauges
My colleagues
offer help
Standups feel productive
Attitude
I perceive that standups are effective
for progressing as a team
Follow Up
NASA’s Recipe for
Successful Standups
Preparation Mode - YOUR DAILY JOURNAL
Plan work and keep Jira up to date in one daily step.
Preparation is key for a structured and fast meeting, driving a
more intentional approach to what should be shared with the team,
and why it’s important.
LIVE MEETING - Show interesting Work
Attendees listen actively to valuable updates.
Once every participant is ready, the meeting can quickly go through the team, focusing on interactions and needed feedback.
TEAM JOURNAL - Agile repository
The Bible of team interactions.
The Team Journal documents up to 30 meetings, summarizing issues flagged for follow-up and capturing key team performance metrics.
Plan & SCALE - Achieve MORE with less Effort
When proactive communication becomes fun.
Once established, the daily practice with NASA improves sprint stability, strips out unnecessary meetings, increases output and team morale.
Get started today
Book a time to discuss your specific requirements and
see how NASA can work for you.
BENEFITS
Keep It Short And Valuable
Drop the chattiness, stick to what’s relevant and have concise dailies – even within larger teams.
Streamline Async & Sync comms
Combine written updates and live feedback for increased focus and participation.
Align Your Team With Jira
Pick your work in Jira from the smart panel —or create new issues without leaving NASA.
Consolidate Feedback
Store updates as comments in your Jira issues and remove double maintenance.
Diverse & Equal Scrums
Ensure diverse feedback with equal participation from all. No voice is too soft or too loud.
Gauge Team Morale
Encourage your team and leadership to practice empathy every day.
Revolutionize Your Standup Meetings with NASA
Say hello to structured, efficient standups that keep your team on track. Discover how to transform your daily meetings and get ready to launch your team’s success to new heights!
Unlock New Levels of Client Success with Our ‘Train the Trainer’ Program
As an Atlassian Solution Partner, your clients look to you for guidance in achieving agile excellence.
With our tailored “train the trainer” program, we equip you with the tools and expertise needed to deliver effective agile ceremonies. From standups to retrospectives, we help you empower your customers to lead with confidence and consistency.
Contact us today to learn how our unique training solutions can enhance your service offerings and deepen client relationships.
