The entire idea of "standups" is one most people get wrong about scrum. There is no such concept as a standup in scrum, but rather, it's called the Daily Scrum: https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html#daily-scrum
> The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting, nor a place to ask the "3 questions", it's a planning meeting, plain and simple. You don't have to walk the board and not everyone needs to take a turn saying what they're up to. It's a communication tool that provides an opportunity to inspect and adapt. The structure of it is totally up to the team.
Seems overkill since plan is to execute the plan we discussed in the sprint. So, why do we need to remind everyone daily that we're just following the plan?
If I am blocked, I don't need the rest of the team. I will fire an email or document and tag people on Github that its blocked.
Also, why are emails not a thing anymore? Email is amazing. Apparently, its old fashioned now. Whatever is happening in tech companies, we need to stop and evaluate what the hell are we doing. It would be a great experiment (I think Gumroad is doing it? I don't remember) where there are no meetings, no slack, and only email, adhoc 1:1s.
I feel like we're not talking about the elephant in the room here and finding ways to justify stand ups or scrum or whatever.
> Seems overkill since plan is to execute the plan we discussed in the sprint. So, why do we need to remind everyone daily that we're just following the plan?
It's the question whether we can adjust "things" to be able to reach the sprint goal. It's the goal that counts, not the way imho.
> Also, why are emails not a thing anymore?
Emails have their Pro's & Con's - I prefer them, but not everyone is able to be precise and on-point in written language. Also, you need to be able to express your feelings in written language. That's one of the reasons I use emojis even in emails. The ascii-ones, but still...
> I feel like we're not talking about the elephant in the room here and finding ways to justify stand ups or scrum or whatever.
Well, I can see the elephant. But people have different opinions on this topic - something you need to accept.
> Emails have their Pro's & Con's - I prefer them, but not everyone is able to be precise and on-point in written language. Also, you need to be able to express your feelings in written language.
This is exactly the opposite of what professionals do. They should be able to write well. It is not optional, it is an expectation. Feelings should not be part of a technical discussion.
In a few years, we're gonna get emojis in an RFC. Just wait, you!
Interesting paper. I guess the biggest problem here lies in the fact that there can only be so much truth seeking. So, with more time and effort, we could come to a conclusion that suits both. But... I don't have that time, to be honest. ;)
The “3 questions” are alluded to in the text you linked (emphasis mine):
>The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. This creates focus and improves self-management.
> Daily Scrums improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick decision-making, and consequently eliminate the need for other meetings.
While I agree with your point that the format is flexible, asking the questions is a good way to keep people on topic.
For sure, I agree that if your team finds the 3 questions helpful then definitely do it. I was just trying to remind people that they're not mandated. People like to scream about how annoying "standups" are how going around the room asking everyone the 3 questions is a waste of time and for many teams that is probably true, in which case, change the format to something that is useful.
> The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting, nor a place to ask the "3 questions", it's a planning meeting, plain and simple. You don't have to walk the board and not everyone needs to take a turn saying what they're up to. It's a communication tool that provides an opportunity to inspect and adapt. The structure of it is totally up to the team.