Blog:
Daily Standup meetings are a great way to keep up to date with the status of the current projects. These meetings are short, focused bursts of communication that give insight into all the latest projects.
As a project manager, these meetings have a significant impact in giving that extra edge to stay ahead on project schedules and resolve issues faster since everything is being communicated earlier in the project path. You get an idea of all project due dates, what projects and project dates are at risk, and where priorities need to be adjusted. The benefit from this is that it creates a more adaptive environment versus one that is reactive and late to the problem-solving “game.”
As a team, there is also a plethora of benefits to having these Daily Standup meetings. Below is an overview of how just taking a quick fifteen to thirty minutes out of your day can benefit you and your team.
- It gets every team member actively participating in keeping every member in the know of their projects and workday, building strong communication efforts. This is especially great with a remote/hybrid work environment where the team may not be interacting with each other in the office on a day-to-day basis.
- It allows for collaboration on things that a team member may need help on. After all, there is no “I” in team. This creates a strong and positive team culture, allowing for bonding, teamwork, and all in all, keeps propelling the projects forward.
- It saves time because these meetings are quick and short and allow for a productive and uninterrupted workday since they happen right when you get into work in the morning.
- It’s a great measure of progress…allowing you to see where the inefficiencies lie by seeing the day-to-day advancements made on the project.
- Any issues get resolved at a quicker pace because they are found earlier and allow more time for a solution to get the project back on schedule.
- It allows for a more focused meeting because the time is shorter and keeps everyone on task with the same goal of task and project alignment. This decreases the amount of time spent in unproductive meetings, knowing exactly what needs to be done and what questions need to be answered.
- It creates trust by building a sense of transparency between every team member. This gives everyone a better understanding of what is on each other’s plates and keeps them motivated, knowing that everyone is working hard to achieve the same goals.
With these benefits, and many others, a team can go from being uncommunicative and unmotivated to working together and maintaining an efficient, effective, and positive work environment.
If your team wants to implement these meetings but is struggling with where to start, there are three core questions that can act as your starting point for each team member.
- What was accomplished yesterday/ this week?
- What is the status of “X” project(s)?
- What are you going to be working on today?
Using these questions to start will guide the main points needed for your team to be in the “know” of projects status, schedules, team member productivity, and responsibilities. Of course, other questions can be added as these meetings continue, but starting with these allows the team to give input on what their workday and week looks like. This is especially helpful for both the manager and project manager, making sure that they stay in touch with the team and know that the list of priorities is being taken care of. Knowing what the team is doing, and what is on their plate, gives a manager the opportunity to reflect on how they can make the workload more efficient and how they can help each other to make sure that the workload is balanced between employees.
Do you see the running theme here? TEAM. It’s all about teamwork! Implementing these meetings, impacts the team’s spirit immensely, keeping morale high and positive. In doing so, this ultimately will increase employee motivation and prevent burnout.