How to Run a Standup That Doesn't Waste Everyone's Time

Standups drift into status theater without some structure.

1. Keep it to 15 minutes maximum, with a strict format: what I did, what I'm doing, blockers.
2. Push detailed discussion of any blocker to a separate follow-up, not the standup itself.
3. Stand up literally, if in person — it naturally discourages long tangents.
4. If most updates feel redundant, consider whether an async written standup would work just as well.

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