How To Use Stand-Ups For Problem Solving

Tired of playing detective when your team says "everything is fine" in standups? The classic standup questions work beautifully in teams built on trust. But if you're drowning in vague updates and hidden problems, let's try a different approach. Transform your questions, transform your results: Instead of "What did you do?", ask: ❓What’s changed since yesterday? ❓Are you working on anything that wasn’t planned? ❓What’s worth sharing about yesterday? Instead of "What will you do?", try: ❓What can we finish today? ❓How likely are we to achieve our Sprint Goal? ❓What would it take to finish this item, and who can work on it? Replace "Any blockers?" with: ❓What’s in our control about this issue, and what’s not? ❓Does anyone need another pair of eyes on something? ❓What help do you need to make this action item happen? The magic behind these questions: ⭐ They make it safe to be imperfect ⭐ They turn "my work" into "our goal" ⭐ They make help-seeking normal, not weak Start with one new question. See what works. Adjust. Your goal isn't better status updates - it's better collaboration.

Let’s be honest. Traditional standups are a waste of time. “Yesterday I was in meetings...” “Today I’ll catch up...” “Tomorrow I hope to...” Why are we all here? That’s not a standup. It’s a calendar recap no one needs. Let’s be real: I don’t care how many calls you took or what doctor’s appointment you had. No one’s moving faster because you shared your admin log. No one’s solving problems with these useless updates. What do I care about? ✅ Are we on track? ✅ If not, why? ✅ What’s blocked? ✅ How do we fix it together? ⚠️ TPMs, PMs, Scrum Masters: Stop wasting the only time your full team might be together all day! ✅ Protect their time ✅ Escalate early ✅ Set the tone ❌ Stop burning time 🔥 Start building momentum Ask instead: - Are we on track? - What’s in our way? - What needs escalation now? - How can I help unblock you? Then: - Solve what you can in a quick team “parking lot” with remaining time. - Take deeper issues offline - Keep the team moving forward Here’s the difference: 🟥 Bad Standup: “Finished a few tickets, had some calls, going to work on more today.” 🟩 Strategic Standup: “We’re 2 days behind on X. Waiting on legal approval. Might miss delivery unless unblocked by EOD.” One is noise. The other drives action. No one needs to know you had a dentist appointment. They need to know if the delivery date just slipped, and what help you need. If you’re only recapping daily tasks, you’re just hosting standup theater. Your team deserves better. A standup should save time, not waste it. Be the one who sets the pace. Not the one who schedules a daily group stall. Leadership = Clarity under pressure. Not comfort in routine. Let this one sting. Then fix your standup. Agree? Disagree? Still running status-only standups? Comment below👇. Let’s fix the ritual, not just repeat it. ♻️ Repost to level-up your project leadership skills. 🔔 Follow Elizabeth Dworkin for more like this. #projectmanagement #projectleadership #dailystandup

I've sat through thousands of standups over my 25+ years building software companies. Elite tech leaders don't listen for status updates, they listen for these 3 warning signals: 1️⃣ The Timeline Explosion When you hear: "I thought it would take a day, but it's been three days already..." This isn't just a delay—it's a warning that your entire project timeline is built on fantasy. Smart teams immediately recalibrate ALL connected deadlines, not just that task. 2️⃣ The Silent Dependency When someone says they're "almost done" for the third standup in a row. This reveals hidden technical debt or dependencies nobody wants to admit. Top teams create a "blocker buster" role with authority to eliminate these roadblocks immediately. 3️⃣ The Integration Blindspot When two developers describe the same feature completely differently. This misalignment guarantees integration chaos later. Successful leaders pause immediately for alignment—even if it means a longer standup. Want to transform your standups? ☑️ Track patterns across days, not just daily updates ☑️ Make "What's blocking you?" more important than "What did you do?" ☑️ Create consequences for repeated blockers ☑️ Measure success by problems prevented, not updates given Your standups should prevent disasters, not just report on them. What warning signs do you look for in your team's standups?