# Running Effective Standups — Exercises

## Exercise 1: Diagnose and Fix

**Task:** You join a team whose standup runs 25 minutes. People go person-by-person; the manager asks follow-up questions; problem-solving happens live. Write a diagnosis (what's wrong) and a 3-step fix.

**Validation:**
- [ ] At least 2 anti-patterns identified
- [ ] Fix includes a format change and a "take it offline" rule
- [ ] Fix is specific (e.g., "blockers first, 2 min each")

**Hints:**
1. Manager asking follow-ups → status report; consider manager observing vs participating
2. Problem-solving live → "Let's grab X and Y after standup for 15 min"
3. 25 min → timebox 15, strict; move discussions offline

---

## Exercise 2: Format Comparison

**Task:** For each scenario, recommend a standup format and justify in 1–2 sentences: (A) 6-person colocated team, lots of pairing; (B) 4-person distributed across 3 time zones; (C) 3-person team, mostly independent work.

**Validation:**
- [ ] Each scenario has a format recommendation
- [ ] Justification references coordination needs
- [ ] Async considered where relevant

**Hints:**
1. Colocated + pairing → walk the board or blockers first; high coordination
2. Distributed + time zones → async or shortened sync with recorded updates
3. Small + independent → consider skipping or 2–3×/week

---

## Exercise 3: Async Template

**Task:** Create an async standup template for a Slack channel. Include: what each person posts, format (bullets? emoji?), deadline (e.g., 9am local), and how to escalate a blocker.

**Validation:**
- [ ] Template has clear fields (yesterday, today, blockers)
- [ ] Deadline and timezone specified
- [ ] Blocker escalation path defined

**Hints:**
1. Keep it short: 1–2 bullets per section
2. Blockers: "@channel" or DM to lead? Define it
3. Consider timezone: "9am in your timezone" vs "9am PT"

---

## Exercise 4: Anti-Pattern Role-Play

**Task:** Write a 30-second "bad standup" script where one person delivers a status report instead of a coordination update. Then rewrite it as a 30-second "good" update (same person, same work). What changed?

**Validation:**
- [ ] Bad script includes status-report language (long list, no asks)
- [ ] Good script focuses on focus + blockers + coordination
- [ ] Difference is clear and teachable

**Hints:**
1. Bad: "I worked on X, Y, Z, then did A, B, and I'm almost done with C..."
2. Good: "Focus today: finishing the auth merge. Blocked on QA env—can someone from DevOps help? Otherwise I'll pair with Jess on the API."
3. Good = shorter, has a clear "ask" or "offer"

---

## Exercise 5: Remote Standup Checklist

**Task:** Create a 5-item checklist for running a great remote standup. Each item should be concrete and actionable (e.g., "Cameras on for first 2 minutes").

**Validation:**
- [ ] 5 items, each actionable
- [ ] Covers tech (video, audio), facilitation, and engagement
- [ ] Usable by any facilitator

**Hints:**
1. Tech: cameras, mute when not speaking, screen share board
2. Facilitation: timebox, "take it offline" rule
3. Engagement: rotate facilitator, start with energy ("one word for how you're feeling")