15 Rules For Hosting An Effective Stand-Up Meeting

Stand up meetings are something that every company, no matter what industry, can benefit from. A successful stand up meeting is one where everyone can share their thoughts on certain topics and you can effectively share company updates on a daily basis. While all daily stand ups are different, there are certain practices and rules that you can follow to ensure that the one you host is a success! 

What Is a Standup Meeting? 

Also known as a “scrum” or “agile,” a stand up meeting is a daily meeting, usually kept at a short length, held between members of a team and the team manager. The manager can share any updates on tasks or projects while team members can share updates about deliverables and ask any questions that may arise about any topic. These meetings can last anywhere around 5 to 15 minutes and are typically held on a daily basis. 

What Is the Purpose of Daily Standup Meetings? 

Daily standup meetings can hold various purposes and come with many benefits. The main goal is to talk about what everyone is currently working on and what each person’s work day will consist of. It can align everyone's workflows and give insight on what tasks everyone has on their plate. Some other benefits of stand ups include:

• <span class="mid-size-title">Workload Transparency</span> 

When you gather as a team to discuss what everyone’s workloads look like for the day, it gives a look into each individual’s agenda. A standup will also give you a scope into everyone’s stress levels and divide workloads if needed. 

• <span class="mid-size-title">Address Roadblocks</span>

Touching base on a consistent basis to discuss work tasks with your team will help solve any problems that may pop up with certain projects. As a team, you can work together to figure out solutions for these roadblocks, making the project at hand more seamless. 

• <span class="mid-size-title">It Helps the Team Stay Nimble</span>

Meeting on such a consistent basis will allow you to address anything that’s not working and change it quickly. Rather than realizing something isn’t working later down the road once things become too difficult, a standup can help foresee those big challenges and adjust if needed. 

• <span class="mid-size-title">Improves Connection and Efficiency</span>

A standup meeting everyday can increase your team’s sense of connectedness with one another; this is especially important if working remotely is the usual format for your company. Team building through this type of meeting can also improve efficiency as everyone talks about what they’re working on throughout their week. 

15 Tips and Rules On Running a Daily Standup Meeting

<span class="mid-size-title">1. Choose the Right Meeting Cadence for Your Team</span>

Each and every team that holds a standup meeting is different. People have different schedules filled with other meetings and deadlines, so it’s important to find a date when everyone on your team can definitely attend. If meeting daily is unrealistic for your team, consider holding your standup every other day or on just a weekly basis. Meeting even once a week will increase your team’s productivity and help any work roadblocks. 

<span class="mid-size-title">2. Schedule the Standup Meeting for A Recurring Time</span> 

Once you figure out a schedule for your team’s standup meetings, the next part is finding a time and sticking to it. Between you and your team members busy schedules, confirm a time that everyone can attend so no one misses out on important updates and questions. Everyone can plan around the date and time of your meeting once it is in place. Many companies have found success holding stand ups first thing in the morning- but make sure to keep different time zones in mind so everyone has a chance of attending! 

<span class="mid-size-title">3. Give All Team Members Ample Ways to Join</span> 

It’s not guaranteed that everyone can join in on your meeting in person, especially in today’s world of working remotely. Because of this, give your team members access to still join the meeting from wherever they are in the world. Members can join in through video calls or audio calls - just make sure you use a virtual platform that’s equipped to handle the number of people you have on your team and that everyone has quality connection. Ensure that your members also have a strong internet connection so they won’t miss any of the meeting information. 

<span class="mid-size-title">4. Have Clear Meeting Leadership</span>

As is true with any type of meeting, your standups should have one clear leader. The leader will guide meeting members through the allotted time together and keep everyone on track with what needs to be communicated. It could be beneficial to ask your team how they prefer to be led; some enjoy having one consistent leader, while others may enjoy rotating meeting leadership. The leader will follow the meeting agenda and keep everyone on task. 

<span class="mid-size-title">5. Keep it Short & Sweet</span> 

All team sizes are different, so the amount of time you alot for your meetings will differ. However, it is recommended that daily standups should last no more than 15 minutes. It can be beneficial to even have someone set a timer to track how long each person speaks so the meeting itself doesn’t end up getting behind and running past the allotted time. 

<span class="mid-size-title">6. Clearly Define the Goals for the Meeting</span>

Every meeting must have some sort of objective! While daily standup meetings tend to be more on the informal side, structure is still an important factor that will help everything run smoothly. Daily standup goals can look like having everyone share what they’re working on, covering any questions team members have, what members plan to complete before the next standup arrives, and covering any updates from the meeting leader. 

<span class="mid-size-title">7. Stop Unrelated or Unproductive Sessions - Only Meet When Necessary</span>

No one likes meetings that are unrelated to the intended topic, especially the busy members of your team! It’s up to the leader of the meeting to make sure the meeting stays on topic and the timing is as predicted. Offer to talk about different topics not planned for the meeting at another date or give your team members the option to message about them in a chat room like Slack or Microsoft Teams. 

<span class="mid-size-title">8. Distribute Next Steps</span>

Dedicate one of your team members to take notes during the meeting to keep track of everything talked about. Once your meeting wraps up, you should be able to give team members different takeaways based on the meeting notes that were taken. Keeping accurate and detailed notes of what went on during your meeting will also benefit any members who weren’t able to make the meeting. 

<span class="mid-size-title">9. Be Mindful of Employees with Physical Challenges</span> 

A standup meeting shouldn’t mean everyone has to literally stand up! Keep in mind that doing so may not be possible for team members that have physical challenges, such as a bad back or those who may be pregnant. Allow a chance to improve inclusivity by requesting feedback from team members about standing for your daily meetings, and welcome any alternative options. 

<span class="mid-size-title">10. Maintain Structure</span> 

The leader of a daily or weekly team standup should be incharge of keeping the meeting inline. The more you go offtopic, the more time will be wasted on topics that aren’t productive to your stand up goals. Maintaining the structure is an important part of the leader’s duty during this meeting. While a standup structure traditionally goes over any company updates, answering any questions from team members, and getting up to date on what everyone is working on, you can customize it to go over whatever you’d like!  

<span class="mid-size-title">11. Make Remote Employees Feel Like They’re There</span>

A great meeting leader makes everyone feel like they’re included, not just the members who are physically there. Make sure everyone is up to date with technology to join the meeting, like having a quality microphone and webcam and having access to your virtual meeting platform. Screen sharing is another important aspect of a standup meeting, so make sure everyone has that capability wherever they join from! 

<span class="mid-size-title">12. Give Everyone A Chance to Talk</span>

When you meet on a consistent basis, it’s easy for people to get comfortable and lean on listening to others. Make sure everyone has a chance to participate and say what they’re working on and any thoughts they have. As a leader, addressing everyone on your team and encouraging them to participate will benefit everyone! 

<span class="mid-size-title">13. Don’t Skip Follow-Up</span> 

Following up after your team standup is just as important as what you discuss in the actual meeting! Share the notes that were taken with all the members that were in your meeting so everyone can review what was covered. Following up with your team can help them remember the answers to any of their questions and the important steps to take afterwards. 

<span class="mid-size-title">14. Stick with the Meeting Agenda</span> 

If you have many people on your team, it can be easy to get sidetracked and go off-topic from the intended meeting agenda. As the leader of your standup meeting, make sure everyone stays on topic. If there are talking points that your team members would like to discuss further, give them the opportunity to go into more detail once the meeting is over. That way you can stay on track while making sure everyone feels heard and gets their requested points addressed! 

<span class="mid-size-title">15. Make Sure All Team Members Participate</span> 

Meetings like daily stand ups are only as effective as the team members who attend. Ensure everyone on your team can attend as much as they can; that way, no one misses any important information and you can oversee what everyone is working on. If your workspace is remote or a hybrid situation, make sure everyone has the right technology to easily connect into your meeting. 

<span class="mid-size-title">Conclusion</span> 

Holding a daily standup for your team will benefit everyone in so many ways! As the host of the meeting, you can get a feel for what everyone is working on and what needs to get done. The team members who join the meeting can also see what other team members are working on and gain insights to any questions they may have. If you need extra assistance on how to run your virtual meeting or the best platform to host your virtual or hybrid standup, our team at Hubilo can help!