The standup format got weaponized. What started as a 15-minute team sync became a 45-minute status meeting where each person reported to the group what they did yesterday, what they're doing today, and what blockers they have.
That's not a standup. That's a broadcast.
The original purpose of the standup was simpler: surface blockers and coordinate. You say what you're working on that might affect someone else. You surface anything that's stuck. Then you leave.
The Three Questions Are a Crutch
"Yesterday, today, blockers" works as a template for teams that don't communicate otherwise. It's a structural aid for teams that don't talk throughout the day.
But if your team is communicating in real-time — in Slack, in doc comments, in quick calls — the three questions become theatre. You're performing your work for the group instead of doing the work.
A Better Standup
Only come if you have something that affects others.
Blockers. Dependencies. Things someone else needs to know. That's it.
If you have nothing that touches anyone else, skip the standup. Send a message to your team if something important happened. But don't waste your time sitting in a room reading your status out loud.
The goal is coordination, not visibility.
Visibility is a side effect. You're not reporting to the manager. You're making sure the team can move.
When the standup becomes a performance, you've lost the point.
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