The Right 3 Questions for the Daily Scrum

The common version of the questions asked in the daily scrum are:

1. What did you do yesterday?
2. What will you do today?
3. Is anything in your way?

Many teams discover a problem with these questions: They are about what a person did and will do rather than what the person accomplished. And so some teams realize there are better questions to be asked in the daily scrum:

1. What did you accomplish yesterday?
2. What will you accomplish today?
3. Is anything in your way of accomplishment?

When the questions are reworded to focus on accomplishments rather than activity, it becomes clear that the team values progress. Some individuals generate a lot of activity, but no progress. They are like a swimmer flailing about in a pool--arms flying everywhere and legs kicking furiously but without any forward movement.

Having questions that focus on what you did accomplish or will accomplish makes it clear that this is what’s important.

It’s a minor rewording, but one that will help your team succeed with agile.


This article is by Mike Cohan