Short #1 "We are agile; we do the Daily Stand-up"

At first, I avoided recognizing it, but perhaps it is the most emblematic ritual of agility. It bothered me that such a transformative paradigm could be reduced to a simple 15-minute practice: "We are agile (because) we do the Daily Stand-up." Initially, I did not understand the Daily Stand-up as a self-contained practice adopted by companies without embracing the rest of agile methodologies. In some cases, this meeting is only held a few times a week. But you have to start somewhere, right?

I came across scenes like this (photo) on multiple occasions. This time, I captured the image while walking through Miraflores (Lima), where I observed a culinary team conducting a kind of Daily Stand-up. Everyone had the opportunity to participate and had a board displaying information about goals. On their aprons, it read: "Don't be mean, I'm learning." A symbol of organizational culture.

The team belongs to Siete Sopas, a restaurant with excellent food and service. It is said that excellence and great results are achieved through small daily habits. And the Daily Stand-up is precisely that: a practice that becomes a habit that shapes the culture of a self-managed and empowered team. Perhaps that's why, in earlier Scrum guides, they were called "Ceremonies."

The power of the Daily Stand-up lies in:

• The arrangement in a circle, that creates a space of equal connection for recognition and mutual listening.
• The standing-up position, that predisposes a proactive attitude.
• The ritual that occurs at a specific time every day establishes a familiar routine.
• The transparency that exists when sharing the same information through the board.
• The humility in recognizing impediments and asking for help.
• The clarity in coordinating to achieve our daily goals.
• The satisfaction in marking a task as "done."

However, there are good and bad habits. The effectiveness of the practice depends on its functionality and its actual purpose. Many years ago, I wrote the article "The Daily is the window to the team's culture" (Spanish) so that you can learn to recognize what lies behind this essential practice.

Agility Shorts

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Damián.