Scrum Daily Standup Questions: A Complete Guide with Examples

In the fast-paced world of agile software development, the daily standup meeting is a cornerstone of the Scrum framework. This short, focused session provides a regular opportunity for the development team to align, identify blockers, and coordinate their efforts.

At the heart of the daily standup are the three key questions that each team member answers:

1. What did you do yesterday?

2. What will you do today?

3. Are there any blockers or impediments in your way?

These deceptively simple questions are designed to foster transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement. However, asking the right questions and getting the most value from the daily standup can be trickier than it seems.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive deep into the purpose and structure of the Scrum daily standup, explore best practices for asking effective questions, and provide example answers to illustrate how teams can maximize the impact of this essential agile ritual.

Understanding the Scrum Daily Standup

The daily standup (also known as the daily scrum) is a 15-minute time-boxed meeting held each workday during a Scrum sprint. The key objectives of this meeting are:

1. Enhance Visibility: The daily standup creates transparency around the team's progress, allowing everyone to stay informed about the work being done.

2. Identify Impediments: By surfacing blockers or challenges, the team can quickly address issues and remove obstacles to productivity.

3. Foster Collaboration: The standup facilitates communication and coordination between team members, helping them adapt their individual efforts to the broader team goals.

4. Inspect and Adapt: The daily discussions provide opportunities to inspect the team's process and adapt their approach as needed.

Typically, the Scrum Master or a designated team member will facilitate the daily standup, ensuring it stays focused and on time. Each team member then takes a turn answering the three standard questions.

The Three Daily Standup Questions

Now let's take a closer look at the three key questions asked during the Scrum daily standup:

1. What did you do yesterday?

• This question encourages team members to reflect on their recent accomplishments and progress.

• It helps the team understand what work has been completed and what is still in progress.

• Answers should be concise, focusing on tangible work items or deliverables.

2. What will you do today?

• This question prompts team members to plan their work for the current day.

• It allows the team to coordinate their efforts and identify any dependencies or potential conflicts.

• Answers should outline the specific tasks or user stories the team member plans to tackle.

3. Are there any blockers or impediments in your way?

• This question surfaces any obstacles or challenges that are preventing team members from making progress.

• It gives the team an opportunity to collectively identify and address issues that are impacting productivity.

• Answers should clearly describe the nature of the blocker and any assistance or resources needed to overcome it.

By answering these three questions, team members provide a succinct, high-level update on their recent activity, their planned work, and any roadblocks they're facing. This transparency enables the team to stay aligned, hold each other accountable, and continuously improve their processes.

Asking Effective Daily Standup Questions

To get the most value from the daily standup, it's important to ask questions that elicit clear, actionable responses from team members. Here are some best practices for crafting effective daily standup questions:

1. Keep questions concise and focused

• Avoid long-winded, open-ended questions that can derail the conversation.

• Stick to the core three questions, and only ask for clarification or additional details when necessary.

2. Frame questions in the present tense

• Use phrasing like "What are you working on today?" rather than "What will you be working on?"

• This subtle shift encourages team members to think about their immediate, concrete plans.

3. Use simple, straightforward language

• Steer clear of jargon or overly technical terminology that some team members may not understand.

• Rephrase questions in plain, easy-to-grasp language if needed.

4. Encourage specific, action-oriented responses

• Ask team members to describe tangible tasks, deliverables, or steps they've taken.

• Avoid vague responses like "I'm working on the feature" in favor of more concrete details.

5. Follow up on identified blockers

• When a team member mentions a blocker, immediately follow up to understand the nature of the issue and how it can be resolved.

• Offer assistance or connect the team member with the appropriate resources.

6. Solicit input from the whole team

• Encourage all team members to contribute their thoughts, suggestions, or updates.

• This promotes collaboration and ensures no one is left out of the discussion.

By applying these best practices, you can facilitate a daily standup that is efficient, productive, and maximizes the value of the three core questions.

Example Daily Standup Responses

To illustrate how team members can effectively answer the three daily standup questions, let's look at some examples:

Question 1: What did you do yesterday?

• "Yesterday, I completed the user authentication functionality for the login page. I also started working on the password reset feature, but I encountered an issue with the email integration that I'll need to resolve today."

• "I spent most of yesterday pair programming with Sarah to refactor the checkout flow. We were able to optimize the checkout process and reduce the number of steps from five to three."

• "I focused on documentation tasks yesterday. I updated the developer onboarding guide and created new API reference pages for the billing and invoicing modules."

Question 2: What will you do today?

• "Today, I plan to finish the password reset feature and get it ready for QA testing. I also need to review the open GitHub issues and triage any high-priority bugs."

• "My main priority for today is to complete the wireframes for the new customer dashboard. I'll be sharing the initial designs with the product team for feedback."

• "I'll be shifting my attention to the mobile app development today. I'm going to work on implementing the push notification functionality and testing it across different device models."

Question 3: Are there any blockers or impediments in your way?

• "The email integration issue I mentioned is still blocking me from completing the password reset feature. I'll need to reach out to our infrastructure team to help troubleshoot the problem."

• "I'm waiting on some design assets from the creative team before I can finalize the wireframes for the customer dashboard. I'll follow up with them to get an ETA on when those assets will be ready."

• "I'm a bit concerned about the lack of documentation for the push notification API we're using. I may need to spend some extra time researching and experimenting to figure out the best implementation approach."

By providing clear, actionable responses to these three questions, team members demonstrate accountability, foster transparency, and enable the team to identify and address any issues or roadblocks.

Integrating Daily Standup Insights into Agile Workflows

The insights gathered during the daily standup should not exist in a vacuum. To ensure maximum impact, teams should actively integrate these updates into their ongoing agile processes and workflows:

1. Update the Sprint Backlog: As team members share their progress and planned work, update the sprint backlog accordingly. This maintains an accurate, up-to-date view of the team's work in progress.

2. Identify and Resolve Blockers: When a team member raises a blocker, the Scrum Master or product owner should work with the team to quickly identify a resolution and remove the impediment.

3. Adjust the Sprint Plan: If necessary, the team can use the daily standup as an opportunity to adjust their sprint plan or backlog priorities based on new information or emerging needs.

4. Communicate Progress: Share key updates from the daily standup with stakeholders, such as the product owner or business leaders. This helps maintain transparency and alignment across the organization.

5. Continuously Improve: Reflect on the effectiveness of the daily standup itself. Regularly seek feedback from the team and experiment with ways to make the meeting more valuable and engaging.

By seamlessly integrating the insights and action items from the daily standup into the broader agile workflow, teams can ensure that this critical meeting drives tangible improvements to their processes, productivity, and ultimately, the quality of their deliverables.

Conclusion

The Scrum daily standup is a powerful tool for aligning teams, identifying issues, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. By asking the right questions and eliciting clear, actionable responses, Scrum teams can maximize the value of this essential agile ritual.

Remember, the key to an effective daily standup lies in keeping the questions concise, the answers specific, and the overall discussion focused on removing blockers and driving progress. By following the best practices outlined in this guide and continuously refining your approach, your team can harness the full potential of the Scrum daily standup to deliver exceptional products and achieve your agile goals.