Daily Scrum

Question 1

What is the Daily Scrum?

Answer 1

The Daily Scrum is one of the 5 Scrum events.

It is a 15-minute timeboxed event that is held every working day at the same time & place. It is for the Developers to plan the next 24 hours. They use the Daily Scrum to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal.

Question 2

Who is responsible for the Daily Scrum?

Answer 2

It is the responsibility of the Developers to run the event and make it effective.

Question 3

What is the structure of the daily scrum?

Answer 3

The structure of the event is set by the Developers, and it can be conducted in many different ways. Here is an example of a structure that might be used. Each Developer answers 3 questions:

• What did I do yesterday to help us meet the Sprint Goal?
• What will I do today to help us meet the Sprint Goal?
• Do I see any impediments that may prevent us from meeting the Sprint Goal?

Question 4

How long should the Daily Scrum be?

Answer 4

It is important to keep within the 15-minute time box to prevent waste.

Not all discussions will be relevant to all of the Developers.

So it is about higher-level planning rather than detailed problem-solving.

The “right” Developers often meet after the Daily Scrum for detailed discussions and to solve specific problems.

Question 5

What are some misunderstandings of the Daily Scrum?

Answer 5

The Daily Scrum is the most miss-understood event in Scrum. For example:

• You do not have to stand up, although it may be helpful.
• You do not have to answer the “3 questions”, although they may be helpful.
• The Developers are responsible for the Daily Scrum and should decide how to do it effectively.
• Others may attend, but it is not for them or about them so they should not disrupt the event.
• Others attending will have an impact on the effectiveness of the Daily Scrum.
• The Scrum Master does not have to attend, although it may be helpful.
• The Developers must hold a Daily Scrum every working day, but it could often be shorter than 15 minutes.
• Not all Developers will benefit from the Daily Scrum every day, but it is important they attend to fulfil their collective responsibility to revise and update their plan.

Question 6

Who must attend the Daily Scrum?

Answer 6

Developers must attend. Others may attend.