When running Sprints, the principle is to carry out daily meetings, not exceeding fifteen minutes. All team members and Scrum Master take part in them. During the discussions, tasks that are waiting for team members on a current day are usually discussed.
Meetings always take place at the same time and place. It is best to do daily scrums in the morning. Then we will not only summarize the previous day quickly, but we will set goals for today. Without exception, all members of the team participate in such a meeting, which does not mean that it must be a closed circle. It is possible to allow outsiders to participate in the discussion, but only as a listener. The main point is to show where the work is at what stage.
Daily Scrum and its rules
It has to be short and on the subject. Therefore, the Scrum Master asks three quick questions, which each member of the team must answer individually:
- What did you do to achieve the Sprint goal?
- What will you do to achieve the Sprint goal?
- What obstacles did you encounter?
Interestingly, it is recommended that the daily exchange of thoughts be carried out in a standing position. The so-called daily stand-up forces an additional conciseness of the meeting. Following this rather untypical rule, we exclude the loss of time by improving communication between employees at a very basic level. After all, Scrum in its nature relies on self-organizing, independent teams. Thus, Daily Scrum points out quick and accurate decision making.
Let's not forget about the scrum tools: product backlog and task backlog. At the same time, we are constantly preparing estimates of the work still to be done in the sprint. It is calculated on a daily basis and presented in a graphical form, as shown in the Sprint Burndown Chart.
Small steps count the most
Although the name "Sprint" suggests a high tempo, it really is quite the opposite. A team working on a joint project must be prepared for a long marathon or even jogging. While maintaining a constant pace he overcomes even sections. Daily Scrum is the smallest distance, where each person focuses on the achievements of yesterday and today's opportunities. Thus, the whole team gains insight into how much work they still have to accomplish.
It is not about scrupulously collecting all the data and stigmatising those who do not keep up with the timetable. After all, the essence of Scrum is to develop the most effective method of work. During daily meetings, each member makes commitments to himself - to perform the appropriate portion of work or implementation of some module. This helps the whole team to understand the essence of small steps and that their decisions are binding on all co-workers.
