Standup
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About the play
A team standup is essential for the transfer of essential knowledge, transparency, efficiency, and risk reduction. Team leads (project managers) must collaborate on a regular basis to identify cross-team issues and risks.
For instance, each team works on their own projects. Standups allow transparency between departments, and a time to communicate about any cross departmental bottlenecks. We will take integration as an example.
All teams actively working the integration project should hold standup meetings to maintain the internal and cross-functional alignment achieved during the integrated kickoff. Ultimately, the objective of this play is to enable all teams to communicate progress and obstacles, which in turn encourages efficient resolution of intra-team issues.
Preparation
People
All team leads/project managers
Difficulty
Easy to Moderate
Materials
Time
While times may vary depending upon the number of team leads, it is best practice to set a time limit before the meeting starts, as well as a time limit for each team lead. Five minutes per team lead/project manager is a commonly used limit.
Running the Play:
Establish schedule and location
20 minutes pre-standup: Standups should follow a regular schedule and maintain a consistent location. During the height of a deal, these standups might take place multiple times a week (2 or 3 max).
Some expert practitioners feel Monday mornings are an ideal time to hold the standup. Moreover, since the deal team and their sub-teams overlap in membership, a schedule of meetings should be created in order to organize and coordinate standup participation.
Identify representatives from each team
5-10 minutes pre-standup: It is essential to include representatives from each team in order to ensure transparency and thorough communication.
Establish protocol for escalation of critical issues
10 -15 minutes pre-standup: Establishing a facilitator to keep time and to intervene when conversations become heated is helpful.
Some refer to this member of the standup as the “referee.” In a similar vein, communicating clear standards of behavior and the importance of preparation for the meeting is essential when dealing with critical issues that will undoubtedly arise during a deal’s lifecycle.
Clarify meeting goals and process flow
5 minutes at the commencement of the standup: Having a clear goal and agenda keeps the meeting focused and avoids the all too common pitfall of meetings becoming unwieldy and unproductive.
Hold the meeting
Time will vary: Again, a pre established code of conduct, time limit and expectation will all work to drive successful multi-team standups.
Standups should incorporate what team members have worked on since the last stand-up, the plan for the day, and any roadblocks.
To respect other members' time, if there are any one-off conversations you need to have with other team members, try to connect after the meeting.
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