Staying Connected Without Slowing Down
A daily standup is a quick check-in where each person shares what they're working on and flags anything that's in the way. The goal is awareness, not accountability — everyone should leave knowing what's happening across the team and where help is needed.
Keep it short. Keep it useful. If it feels like a chore, something needs to change.
We default to async standups — a quick written post in the team channel. This works well for us because:
- Everyone works on their own project and their own schedule
- Written updates are searchable and easy to catch up on
- No need to coordinate time zones or calendars
When to go sync: If multiple people are blocked, if a big decision needs alignment, or if the team just wants some face time — jump on a quick call. Sync standups should be the exception, not the rule.
Each day, post a short update covering three things:
What you worked on since your last update. Keep it brief — highlights, not a task log.
What you're focused on today. This helps others know where your head is at.
Anything stuck or at risk. This is the most important part — if you're blocked, say so. The team can't help if they don't know.
What I did: Finished the API endpoint for user profiles. Opened a PR.
What I'm doing: Starting on the profile settings page. Will need the design spec from the shared drive.
Blockers: Waiting on API credentials for the staging environment — pinged Nick yesterday, will follow up today.
That's it. Three to five sentences. Done.
Post your update at the start of your working day. There's no fixed time — just make it part of your routine. The point is that by midday, everyone's update is visible.
If you're taking a day off or have a light day, a quick "off today" or "light day, catching up on reviews" is totally fine.
- Be specific, not performative. "Worked on stuff" tells nobody anything. "Finished the login page, started on tests" does
- Flag blockers early. Don't wait for the mid-sprint touchpoint. If you're stuck today, say it today
- Read other people's updates. The standup only works if people are actually paying attention to each other. If someone's blocked and you can help, jump in
- Don't turn it into a meeting. If an async post turns into a discussion, take it to a thread or a quick call. The standup channel stays clean
- Skip the fluff. No need for greetings, apologies, or long preambles. Get to the signal
Use whatever the team has agreed on — Slack, Discord, a shared doc. The format matters less than the habit. Pick a channel, make it easy to find, and post consistently.
If using a bot or reminder, set it to nudge at a consistent time so it becomes routine.
The best standup is one you barely notice doing — three quick lines that keep the whole team in sync.