What Is a Daily Standup? Definition, Examples & Best Practices
Daily Standup A daily standup (also called daily scrum) is a short, time-boxed meeting (typically 15 minutes) where each team member shares what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any blockers they face. The goal is to synchronize the team and surface problems early.
Why daily standup matters
Standups prevent the common failure mode where team members work in isolation for days, only to discover conflicts, blockers, or duplicated effort at the sprint review. A 15-minute daily sync keeps the team aligned and surfaces problems when they are still small and cheap to fix.
How it works
Each team member answers three questions: What did I complete since the last standup? What will I work on today? What is blocking me? The standup is not a status report to the manager. It is a peer coordination mechanism. Follow-up discussions happen after the standup, not during it.
Common mistakes
Letting standups run longer than 15 minutes
Turning standups into problem-solving sessions (take discussions offline)
Having people report to the manager instead of talking to each other
Skipping standups on busy days (that is when they are most needed)