Rules For The Daily Scrum Meeting – What Every Member Should Do To Make The Sprint Successful

By Author: Mrugesh Panchal
Total Articles: 48
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The daily scrum meeting rules
The daily standup or the daily scrum meeting is very important while implementing scrum. The purpose of the daily standup is to initiate the sprint activity for the particular day, with a little bit of discussion pertaining to what was done in the sprint the day before i.e. yesterday, and what the team plans to do on the particular day i.e. today. It is imperative for the team members to follow rules which can help to implement scrum in a successful manner. Moreover, the team members are also required to maintain a certain decorum while participating in the daily standup.

The important rules required to conduct a beneficial standup and implement scrum in a healthy manner can be briefly summarized:

1. Ideally, the daily scrum should be held in the same place, and at the same time every day. The best time to hold the meeting is in the morning, before the development team initiates the actual daily sprint. The potential of the team can be best tapped when members are fresh, and open to ideas.

2. The ...
... meeting should be time boxed and not extend beyond the stipulated 15 minutes allotted for it.

3. The scrum master should encourage active participation and ensure the members are collaborating during the meeting, as well as during the sprint.

4. All team members, including the product owner and the scrum master should ideally attend the daily standup. In case of a distributed team, the remotely working team members should participate using online media and tools

5. The members attending the meeting should maintain timings and must be prompt. They should be mentally prepared with their brief presentations and what questions they need to ask, if required, during the meeting.

6. The scrum master should ensure each member gets a chance to talk and discuss without any inhibitions. Irrespective of the process you follow about which member should speak first, each individual should disclose what work was done in the prior sprint, and what he or she plans to do on that day.

7. The three important questions:
1. What activity was done the day before?
2. What activity is planned for today?
3. Are there any issues or problems which impede the sprint process?
Should be discussed in the meeting by each development team member participating in the daily sprint.
7. The team members should refrain from asking questions other than those mentioned in point 6. The discussion should not include topics pertaining to designing, trouble shooting, fixing bugs, project analysis, etc.
8. Team members should not indulge in gossip or carry out any other discussion not pertaining to the daily scrum.
9. When the meeting is being conducted, only one individual speaks at a time. All other members should listen carefully, and make notes if required.
10. The member should address the team as a whole, and not just focus or concentrate upon the scrum master while providing the feedback.
11. During the meeting, if any team member requires help or guidance regarding a particular point or problem faced by the individual, the scrum master should ensure that the query or problem is solved as soon as possible.
12. Non-team members and the stakeholders can attend the meeting if they desire to do so, but they should remain quiet and not intervene during the meeting. They should not indulge in any activity which can distract the team members from carrying out the meeting in a proper manner.
13. Non-team members should provide ample of room to the development team so they have enough space to conduct the meeting, and make notes.
14. The scrum master holds the right to prevent any non-team member from attending the meeting if he or she deems fit to do so.
15. Any member, team or otherwise, not supporting the rules and regulations can be asked to leave the meeting and the vicinity by the scrum master.