The Daily Scrum is an important Scrum event. It is a daily meeting in which the Developers discuss their progress, identify any roadblocks and plan for the next 24 hours. The Scrum Master is critical in facilitating this meeting and ensuring that it runs smoothly and efficiently.
Creating an environment conducive to open and honest communication is one of the most important things a Scrum Master can do to facilitate great Daily Scrums. This can be accomplished by establishing ground rules for the meeting, such as keeping it to a timebox of 15 minutes, encouraging team members to speak up, and ensuring that everyone is heard.
Another critical aspect of running effective Daily Scrums is keeping the team focused on the most important tasks. This can be accomplished by encouraging team members to prioritize their work and assisting in identifying and removing any impediments that are impeding the team’s progress. Reflecting on the Sprint Goal may help with this, as you can encourage team members to share their progress and plans for achieving the Sprint Goal.
Finally, the Scrum Master must ensure that the Daily Scrum is a positive and productive experience for the entire team. This can be accomplished by keeping the meeting on track, encouraging team members to share their successes, and showing appreciation for their efforts.
And if you, as a Scrum Master, have properly taught and coached the Developers and believe that they are perfectly capable of running the Daily Scrum on their own, it is fine not to join!
The Product Owner and the Daily Scrum
The Daily Scrum, according to the Scrum framework, is an opportunity for Developers to inspect and adapt their work, and the Product Owner is not required to attend. However, I believe the Product Owner should be encouraged to attend the Daily Scrum if they want to be kept up to date on the team’s progress and be available to answer questions or provide guidance. Here are a few examples:
- Better collaboration
- Involving the Product Owner in the Daily Scrum can aid in the Product Owner’s and Developers’ collaboration and communication. As a result, the Scrum Team can discuss and address any questions or issues that arise, resulting in a more seamless and efficient development process;
- Increased transparency
- The Product Owner can gain a better understanding of the development process and progress toward the Sprint Goal by participating in the Daily Scrum. This increased transparency can assist the Product Owner in making informed decisions while also ensuring that the team is on track to deliver the desired results;
- Improved alignment on priorities and objectives
- The Daily Scrum gives the Product Owner an opportunity to align with the team and provide guidance on priorities and objectives. This can help ensure that the team is focused on the right tasks and that everyone knows what is expected of them.
So, while the Product Owner is not required to attend the Daily Scrum, they should be welcome to do so if they so desire. Involving the Product Owner in the Daily Scrum can improve collaboration, transparency, and alignment between the Product Owner and the Developers.
Values and principles
When discussing Scrum Events, one thing that always comes to mind is the Scrum Master’s awareness of how the events contribute to empirical process control and the embodiment of the Scrum Values. The Scrum Master’s role is to facilitate the meeting, to foster a positive and productive environment, and to ensure that the Daily Scrum adheres to the Scrum Values.
The Daily Scrum can embody the Scrum Values in the following way:
- Commitment
- The Scrum Team’s daily progress and plans for the following day show their dedication to the Sprint Goal;
- Focus
- The meeting assists the Scrum Team in remaining focused on the most important tasks and priorities (as well as reflecting on the Sprint Goal);
- Openness
- The Scrum Master fosters an environment in which team members feel comfortable discussing their progress, challenges, and ideas;
- Respect
- During the meeting, the Scrum Master ensures that each team member is heard and listened to. It’s also about respecting the Developers’ ability to choose and execute their work;
- Courage
- The team has the courage to be open about its progress and challenges, as well as the courage to change course (even in the face of setbacks) if necessary.
The Daily Scrum appeals to the three pillars of Empiricism by:
- Transparency
- The Scrum Team communicates openly with one another about their progress and plans for the next day. The Sprint Goal, Sprint Backlog, and DoD are all visible and understandable;
- Inspection
- The Scrum Team inspects their work and identifies any issues that must be resolved;
- Adaptation
- The team makes plans for the following day and adjusts their approach as needed to stay on track to meet the Sprint Goal.
To sum it up
To wrap up, here is a small summary on facilitating great Daily Scrums:
- Always begin the Daily Scrum on time and at the same time each day (to reduce complexity);
- Encourage team members to speak up, even if they only have a few words to say;
- Keep the meeting brief, sweet, and to the point within the 15-minute time limit (like a good espresso!);
- Celebrate the team’s accomplishments (like a good shot of tequila!);
- Remind the team of the Sprint Goal;
- Because most Sprint days begin with a Daily Scrum, take advantage of this opportunity to provide a positive start to the day – be a ray of sunshine!