Quick answers
- What do you say in a standup?
- What you did yesterday, what you'll do today, any blockers. Be specific.
Key takeaways
- Name the task, not 'stuff.'
- Give percent or ETA when useful.
- State blockers clearly.
- Keep it under 60 seconds.
Instead of → Say
| Instead of | Say |
|---|---|
| I worked on the feature | I completed the Stripe webhook handler. All tests pass. |
| Same as yesterday | I'm continuing the migration. About 80% done. One more day. |
| I'm blocked | I'm blocked on staging access. I've submitted the request. Can someone nudge DevOps? |
Example dialogue
Manager: What did you do yesterday?
You: I finished the checkout API and deployed to staging. Yesterday I also reviewed two PRs.
Manager: Today?
You: I'm starting the webhook tests. I'll have those done by EOD. No blockers.
Common mistakes
- Vague 'I worked on X.'
- Rambling.
- Skipping blockers.
Frequently asked questions
- How long should my standup update be?
- 30–60 seconds. Task, status, blockers.
- What if I have nothing new?
- 'I'm continuing with [task from yesterday]. No blockers.'
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