Are stand-ups a Waste of time for developers? I used to think so. I have been doing stand-ups for the past two months and I now think they are brilliant!
I used to absolutely refuse to do stand-up meetings as a manager, because I believed they were a waste of time. I thought them to be a disruption to everyone’s morning and too short to accomplish anything. I was challenged to try them by other managers and so accepted the challenge. I was surprised! They are not a waste of time.
I do a stand-up everyday with each team and limited to 10 minutes each as early in the morning as possible. I ask 3 questions to each team member:
- What did you do yesterday?
- What are you doing today?
- Do you have issues that anyone can help you with? – Are you stuck?
What I learned from doing stand-ups is I can catch issues before they arise. I can help someone before they spin on a problem too long. The team can help each other and I know what is going on all the time.
In short… I will do stand-ups as long as I am in the position to do so. They help everyone. Stand-ups are not a waste of time if you make them meaningful and limited time.
Andrew Pallant (@LdnDeveloper) has been a web, database and desktop developer for over 16 years. Andrew has worked on projects that ranged from factory automation to writing business applications. Most recently he has been heavily involved in various forms for ecommerce projects. Over the years Andrew has worn many hats: Project Manager, IT Manager, Lead Developer, Supervisor of Developers and many more - See more at: http://www.unlatched.com/#sthash.8DiTkpKy.dpuf
