“Hey, let’s have another meeting!”

– said no one ever (and meant it, like deep down really meant it).

So it seems counterintuitive then that organizations that have dialed into the SCRUM framework of Agile methodology would be advocating for adding a daily meeting to everyone’s already crowded workload.

But the Daily Scrum is an integral part of the process — the idea being that a very specifically time-boxed meeting held at the same time in the same place with the same players every day will help keep everyone on the same page and everyone’s eyes on the prize.

Done correctly, with everyone sticking to the plan, the Daily Scrum has the potential to eliminate a bunch of other meetings since it keeps everything moving along and deals with issues in the timeliest of manners.

“Daily Scrums improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick decision-making and consequently eliminate the need for other meetings,” according to The Scrum Guide.

What happens at the Daily Scrum?

The team comes together, knowing in advance that the meeting won’t exceed a specific time (usually 15 minutes), to talk about progress toward the immediate goal, discuss any barriers or impediments and work through solutions as needed.

Establishing the place and time as constants helps build a cadence and gives the project a pulse that keeps things moving along. Most organizations schedule Daily Scrums first thing in the morning so people can check-in and then go about their day with a clear picture of where things stand.

But it’s best to find a time that works for your organization, so long as it’s consistent. Organizations with people working in different time zones, for example, need to find that sweet spot when everyone is awake and hasn’t yet checked out for the day.

The Daily Scrum is one of five events that make up the Scrum methodology and represents a good jumping-off point, a way to ease the team into the Scrum framework.

It’s also a little touch of magic (some might say sorcery) that defies logic in that addition (of one meeting) actually equals subtraction (of a bunch of other meetings).

Happy Scruming! (Scrumming?)

– Your friends at NonprofitLibrary