The Daily Scrum Process for an Entrepreneur
I have previously published articles on my blog about the concept of the Daily Scrum, a practice used by teams that follow the Scrum framework. The Daily Scrum is a great way for individuals of a team to stay accountable to the work that needs to get done, stay on track within the current Sprint, and support each other in getting through any barriers holding up a piece of work.
However, the Daily Scrum can also be beneficial to the lone entrepreneur as part of a "Scrum for One" practice. Following the traditional flow of a Daily Scrum used by Scrum teams, I have a Daily Scrum each weekday morning to keep myself and my goals on track. In this post, I will run through my Daily Scrum process step-by-step.
The Components of the "Scrum for One" Daily Scrum Event
The Daily Scrum for Scrum development teams has evolved over the years. Previously, team members would answer three questions during the 15-minute:
What did I get done yesterday?
What am I going to do today?
Are there any barriers preventing me from achieving my goal for today?
With the Scrum Guide update in 2020, the structure of this Daily Scrum has changed. Now Scrum teams can determine the structure and techniques they want to use during the Daily Scrum, as long as it is progressing towards the overall Sprint Goal. One thing has not changed, however, and that is to remember that the Daily Scrum is not a status meeting. It is for alignment and transparent, open communication.
My Scrum for One framework closely aligns with the updated 2020 Scrum Guide. Specific questions are not answered, there are just a series of steps to follow to make sure I am working towards my Sprint Goal. Here are the components of my Daily Scrum:
Daily Theme check
Calendar check
Task Check
My components require a little bit more involvement, which is why I recommend a 30-minute commitment to this activity, as opposed to the 15-minute requirement of the traditional team-based Scrum framework.
My Daily Scrum is every morning, Monday through Friday, from 8:30-9:00 AM.
Next, I will describe these different components of my Daily Scrum.
Daily Theme Check
As I have previously discussed on my blog, my Scrum for One methodology calls for daily themes to help enhance focus. Check out this article for a breakdown of my Daily Themes.
To start my Daily Scrum process, I review my theme for the day. 95% of the time, my daily theme is aligned with what I need to get done, but like most things in life, there are exceptions. For example, a few weeks ago, on a Wednesday evening, when my scheduled theme for the day was product development, I had to make a guest appearance on a podcast. The podcast host had a pre-determined day for his recording, so I had to fit into that. Because appearing on a podcast was an excellent marketing opportunity for me, I switched my theme for the day with Thursday, which is normally when I would focus on marketing activities. And then on that Thursday, I did product development.
So your Daily Theme can change, which is why I like to give it a quick check each morning during my Daily Scrum to make sure I am still on track to do my best, most important work.
The Daily Theme check should take five minutes or less to complete.
Calendar Check
For most of us, our calendar is a key component to knowing what commitments we have made to other people, in the past, present, and future, but it also can help you keep commitments to yourself each day. Here is the process I use for conducting my calendar check during my Daily Scrum.
A Quick Look Back
Depending on how many meetings you have in a given day, you can often find yourself shuffling around so quick that you forget what meetings you have had and what were the outcomes of those meetings. That is why each day, during my Daily Scrum, I like to look back just to the previous day and quickly review what meetings I had and any notes I took. This will usually spark a reminder, a thought, or next action that I need to take. I capture these in my inbox for later processing.
A Quick Look at Today
Next I look at the current day ahead of me. I am glancing at the meetings I have scheduled, think about other commitments I need to make time for, and fill in the blank spots with different performance time activities. I strongly believe in the power of time blocking your day and filling any open blocks of time you have for those most important tasks.
A Quick Look at Tomorrow
Finally, I look forward on my calendar at the next day or two. I am looking for any meetings or commitments I have that I might need to prepare for. If there is, I make sure to add those items to my system's inbox.
The Calendar Check of my Daily Scrum takes about 15 minutes.
Task Check
The last 10 minutes of my Daily Scrum is spent looking at my specific tasks for the day, all of which should align with my Sprint Goal. I fill in any open calendar times with these task blocks, only moving blocks to future days when absolutely necessary. If I did my Sprint Planning correctly, I should have laid out just enough tasks for the Sprint to get everything done.
The Key Takeaway
The two-and-a-half hours I spend each week in Daily Scrum meetings with myself is some of the most valuable time I spend. These Daily Scrums really set me up for a successful day and remind me of the Sprint Goal that I am shooting for each week.
