Many companies still use the Waterfall Methodology today. I’m sure you’re familiar - it’s the sequence of finishing a step before moving to the next.

In Waterfall, stakeholders typically meet weekly or right before key milestones.

In reality, weekly meetings turned into casual updates. It wasn't until the last minute you’d realize there were problems - resulting to delays.

I figured it was due to the tendency for stakeholders to prioritize their day-to-day activities. Since they’d see you again in a week, they felt they could delay tasks a bit.

It creates a cycle of reacting rather than anticipating.

This is where Daily Stand Ups come in.

What are Daily Stand Ups?

A daily stand-up is a quick, time-boxed meeting, usually only 10-15 minutes long. It can be shorter if there’s not much to update.

It’s designed to improve communication - to sync the team’s work, identify and resolve obstacles, and plan for the day ahead.

So let’s dive into the benefits:

#1 - Builds Stakeholder Accountability

One of the tasks during the meeting is for each stakeholder to share their accomplishments from the previous day and outline their plan for the day.

Quick, right?

By sharing updates orally and in front of stakeholders, it creates a sense of commitment. Each stakeholder is expected to follow through and present the status of their task the previous day.

Reminder: The plan for the day should only include tasks just enough for one day.

After building accountability, up next…

#2 - Improves Transparency Across Teams

Part of working on projects is remembering and understanding the moving parts.

When I held weekly meetings, I often forgot some details due to managing countless other activities. Asking and talking about it takes a lot of time and energy.

When you meet daily, you discuss both previous and current deliverables. This helps ensure that details aren't easily forgotten.

It's easier for the brain to connect the previous event to the next, rather than trying to recall a single event from way back.

I promise you’ll notice how much effortless it becomes. Moving on…

#3 - Identifies and Solves Potential Bottlenecks

When working on deliverables, potential bottlenecks often come to mind. If you wait a week to mention them, it may be too late.

Some suggest noting them down, but with more urgent tasks, it's easy to forget or park aside.

The advantage of daily stand-ups is that you can immediately mention issues the next day. The team can then address them right away.

Finally…

#4 - Strengthens Team Camaraderie

You won’t use the full 15 minutes every day. Some days, 5 minutes may be enough.

A good practice is to chat with your stakeholders beyond the project. Some days, we chatted about coffee, the weather, or random news.

I find building relationships important. It helps you enjoy working with your colleagues. It also helps you understand how they work.

Better chemistry improves collaboration, makes communication smoother, and reduces misunderstandings.

Now you know the benefits, it’s time to learn to execute it.

How to Conduct Productive Daily Stand-Ups

I personally believe this is effective.

It really does work. It’s also simple to do. Just answer these 3 questions:

1. What did you accomplish yesterday?

2. What do you plan to do today?

3. Are there potential bottlenecks?

That’s it for this week.

Ciao!