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0 pointsmrkurt6y ago0 comments

> Forcing the team to pay attention is probably harder in an async conversation chain than a meeting but I don't think ineffective is correct.

I think this is a feature. If people aren't paying attention to asynchronous information, there's a problem. Either the information isn't useful or the team isn't functional.

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4 comments · 1 top-level

jayd166y ago· 3 in thread

It might fall under "non-functional team" but active listening/reading of usually banal but sometimes critical information is simply not an easy thing to do in a routine format. The information in a standup is team-wide because you do not know what will be important to who. It takes some amount of skill and discipline from the team.

karatestomp6y ago

Part of this is because the standard format encourages including shit that no-one cares about, or that a glance at the issue tracker or repo activity would (should...) clarify immediately if anyone wants to know. If your "no blockers" updates could be written by a very simple script maybe don't bother with those parts.

Or, god, worse if it's manager-centric and everyone's listing every little damn thing they did yesterday just to make sure they sound sufficiently busy. Ugh. No one gives a shit (except your manager, if they're bad and letting standups be used this way) do you need anything? No? Then move on.

mrkurtOP6y ago

We 1000% agree on this, but it's still fun to talk about.

I think that's just low signal to noise. It definitely takes skill and discipline, but it's also a matter of improving habits. Standups were originally a "better habit". There's a cost, though, especially as teams are more distributed (and diverse).

jayd166y ago

Agreed. It seems like most of these problems arise from cargo culting the habits without understanding the purpose behind those habits.

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