is the Daily Scrum a ‘status meeting’? (trick question)
(scroll down for answer…)
No. The Daily Scrum IS NOT repeat not a (traditional) status meeting…
…I recently fielded this question during a Scrum briefing I did for a client:
Question:
What’s the diff between a Daily Scrum and “status meeting”? The 3 questions sound like “status info”….?
Answer:
The Daily Scrum is not a ‘status meeting’ in the traditional sense of reporting to a person.
In a traditional status meeting, you report your status to a person in a role that has authority- a role like PROJECT MANAGER. A person in a role who is an ‘authority figure’.
FYI: This is a BIG deal!
In the Daily Scrum, you report the 3 questions (arguably status info) to your TEAM. Because the TEAM is the authority in that time in that place, namely: the Daily Scrum. The Daily Scrum is the TEAMs meeting. The Scrum Master (if present at all!) is NOT the boss, a “manager”, or a “project manager”. The Scrum Master is NONE of these things!
TEAM reports to TEAM. TEAM is authority in the Daily Scrum.
A subtle yet profoundly HUGE difference !
Further, the Daily Scrum is not a place to discuss solutions. Is IS THE PLACE to surface and make explicit topics for subsequent discussion. After the Daily Scrum !
If you have further questions, will you please ask me them on Twitter?
Here is my Twitter feed.
I hope this helps!
NOTE: The Scrum Guide is the ultimate authority on Scrum.
Here it is in English.
Here is the Scrum Guide written in various languages.
***