Stand-up Meetings

Stand-up Questions

We will use 3 standup questions to focus on identifying things that we have, or plan, to “complete".

1. What have you completed since the last meeting?
2. What do you plan to complete by the next meeting?
3. What is getting in your way

The intent of these questions is to emphasize completions of tasks, rather than effort spent.

Using Zoom for Stand-up Meetings

The SCEC IT Calendar has an entry with a link to a zoom meeting that is the standard connection for our Zoom stand-up calls.

Using Slack for Stand-up Meetings

In many cases, SCEC software team members are working as the only software developer on a group research project, while the SCRUM process is designed to support project on which multiple programmers share development responsibility. This challenges some of the ideas around the Scrum process, and as a result we might need to adapt this process to better fit our needs as a group. Specifically, we should focus on developing communications channels and coordination process that enables seamless knowledge transfer and that leverages the collective knowledge of our group. We will work towards this goal by adding an asynchronous mode to our group communications. Many software groups have adopted Slack as their tool for asynchronous communication.

• Contribute to daily stand-up calls with check-ins to SCEC Software Slack Channel
• Have 1 hr max weekly software round-table meeting for technical discussions / knowledge transfer
  • Technical issues
  • Design discussions
  • New technologies (e.g., CI / plotly / etc)
• Use Slack for other various work and non-work related asnyc communications (eg., sharing news, interesting tid-bits, etc.)

How-to Check in via Slack

• Every morning when you start working open the Slack desktop application (there is a web client, but I have the best experience with the desktop app)
• Workspace URI: scecsoftware.slack.com
• In the #stand-up channel, write a short blurb about the day. Everyone in the daily stand-up calls has access to this room.
• You can adjust notification settings to see all messages from this channel.

This will take some effort to train us into the habit of using the platform, but I believe that it will help open a low-friction medium for communication in our software group.

Slack Channels

• In the app you'll see a "Channels" drop-down in the left panel.
• Click the '+' icon to manage the channels in the room.
• Right now we have individual project channels (eg., #broadband, #cybershake, #cxm, etc) and #stand-up and others
• It should be straight-forward which content goes in which channels
  • Use the #stand-up channel for daily sync-up communications
  • Use the project channels for project communications
  • Use general for general but work-related discussions
  • Use random for other non-work stuff
• Feel free to make your own channels. View this as our living chat room and we can evolve it as we see fit :)

Slack Apps

Slack can integrate Apps into the message system which enables it to become a primary means of communication

• Zoom app
• Outlook Calendar app
• Github App

Stand-up Examples

• Short Example
• Standup is Not A Status Meeting
• Different way to do Stand-up Meetings
• Standup Questions

Related Entries

• Scrum
• CME Project
• Software