The agile standup is still relevant in a remote work environment.

We spoke with agile expert Rita Tattersall about stand-ups and agile in the context of remote, hybrid and distributed workplaces.

Why It Matters

Agile stand-up meetings remain highly effective for team communication in a remote environment. While there is media debate about strictly adhering to agile principles versus adapting them, this discussion is sometimes superficial and can hinder effective teamwork. Context is crucial, and both pure agile and customised approaches have their place. IT development teams tend to favour purer agile practices, while business teams incorporating agile aspects may opt for more customised methods. Although remote and hybrid work can pose communication challenges for stand-up meetings, these are surmountable by prioritising the right approach for the team and its objectives.

Take action

• Consciously assess your remote work agile context.
• An experienced practitioner is needed to choose the right “tools for the job”. Seek expert advice when choosing appropriate agile methods for your team.
• Be prepared to review and adjust methods over time

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Here's the summary of the conversation:

“I don't believe the stand-up is dead. I believe that it is the single most important part of communication in any team’s day. In my teams stand-up is sacred. You don't miss it.

We do stick to the ‘what I did yesterday, what I plan today. Is there anything going to stop me achieving that’ format and we move on (i.e., ‘what have I done? What do I plan to do?  Are there any blockers?’)

Our stand up is 15 minutes only. If there's any further conversation needed, we have an ‘after party’. Which is my term for, ‘you can stick around after the stand-up and the people who are interested in this topic can stick around too’. The 15 minutes maximum stand-up time is part of what enables the team to accept that sacred nature, if it was an hour and a half every day, I don't think the team would support it.

I don't think remote work challenges anything that we're trying to achieve using agile. It's as simple as that. I believe remote work enables.  Remote work has nothing to do with the methodology of delivery. I think remote working is an absolute benefit to anyone. 

Remote work enables people to get their work done and actually makes them a better team player.

Looking at the context of the work and selecting the right tools to bring to the problem at hand is the key. Managers must be able to choose the right tools out of their tool bag appropriate for the work context. You can't just follow a recipe, and everything is going to be OK.

Simplicity and the power of repetition - - the team have 15 minutes every day to commit to coordination.”

What are the alternatives?

The practice Rita describes (representative of software development teams) keeps to the agile path, and advocates keeping things standardised, simple, and tight. While technology such as video conferencing and digital agile walls have been introduced to facilitate remote and hybrid work, these are not particularly new. These teams have often been international (i.e., multi-shore) for many years.

An alternative practice for teams wishing to relax the ritual format might be to investigate Ben Darfler’s (2021) ideas to use a longer format which he calls a “meandering team sync”. Matt LeMay (2021) suggests selectively using asynchronous and synchronous techniques to build what he calls a “synchronous sandwich”. There are many possibilities, our main recommendation would be to intentionally select an approach that suits your team situation and purpose.

Go Deeper

• Darfler, B. (2021). Stand-Up Meetings Are Dead (and What to Do Instead). Link
• Godin, S. (2021). Intentional connection in the digital office. Link
• Kitch, B. (2022). 6 Tips to make daily stand-ups more effective. Link
• LeMay, M. (2021). Is Your Team Struggling with Remote Work? Try a Synchronous Sandwich! Link