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Welcome to Product Monk, a 3x/week newsletter where we share the case studies of the most exciting tech products.

We wrote these three stories last week, hope you love them ❤️:

• Better Products Faster: An Outcome-Oriented Approach to Optimizing Your Ways of Working

• Canva's Journey to a $40 Billion Valuation

• From 0 to 300 Billion Views: The Visionary Product Managers Behind YouTube's Meteoric Rise

PS: Every email has a quick feedback at the bottom. Would really appreciate it if you give feedback there. Gives us a general sense of how our case studies/emails have been received and how to improve on them.

🧃Juicy reads to check out

This section includes some relevant articles/videos, people to check out, and links you might find interesting from around Product management.

👉🏻 The Leadership Impact Curve (Link)

👉🏻 What Does The “Users” Metric Measure? (Link).

👉🏻 Ultimate Guide to Product Launch (Link)

👩‍💼 Hot PM job postings added!

Find the latest PM jobs for apprentices, interns, and beginners at the end of this post. Read this case study to crack them!

Make Your Scrum Calls Matter: Practical Tips for Effective Daily Standups

Scrum calls, often perceived as monotonous and unproductive, can be revitalized into valuable and enjoyable sessions.

This blog delves into strategies to transform your scrum calls from dreaded drudgery into delightful discussions. Discover tips to enhance focus, engagement, and productivity, empowering you to reclaim your time and build exceptional products.

Understanding Scrums and Standups

To make effective Scrum calls or standup calls, it's essential to have a clear understanding of the Scrum framework and how it operates.

Scrum is a framework for managing software development projects. It is based on the idea of iterative and incremental development, where teams work in short cycles (called sprints) to deliver working software. Scrum is a popular framework for agile development, and it is used by many companies of all sizes.

Standups, also known as daily Scrum meetings, are a core practice in Scrum. They are short (typically 15-minute) meetings that are held every day of the sprint. The purpose of standups is for team members to:

• Inspect progress: Review the work that was completed yesterday and identify any roadblocks.

• Adapt the plan: Make any necessary changes to the sprint plan based on the latest information.

• Stay aligned: Ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.

Standups are an important way to keep Scrum teams on track and ensure that they are delivering working software at the end of each sprint.

Ways to Make Effective & Engaging Scrum Calls

It's important to create an environment that encourages active participation and promotes collaboration among team members. The below tips are aimed at helping you make your scrum calls more outcome-driven and engaging.

1. Prepare and Set the Agenda

Before the Scrum call, take the time to prepare and set the agenda. Identify the key topics or user stories to be discussed during the meeting.

Share the agenda with the team in advance, allowing them to come prepared with updates and questions. Setting a clear agenda ensures that the Scrum call stays focused and productive.

How to prepare the agenda?

1. Review Sprint Backlog: Thoroughly examine the sprint backlog to identify project status and potential challenges, helping prioritize agenda items and align team goals for the upcoming sprint.

2. Gather Stakeholder Feedback (if needed): Collect input from stakeholders like customers, engineers, and designers to include diverse perspectives in the agenda and address concerns early on.

3. Prioritize Agenda: Based on backlog review and stakeholder feedback, prioritize critical items such as blockers, dependencies, and high-priority tasks.

4. Estimate Time Allocations: Assign estimated durations to agenda items to keep the meeting on track, managing expectations and preventing unnecessary delays.

5. Draft Clear Agenda: Create a concise agenda with topics, designated speakers, and estimated time allocations. Share it in advance to allow participants to prepare.

6. Incorporate Agile Values: Infuse agile values like transparency, collaboration, and adaptability into the agenda. Foster open communication, teamwork, and be ready to adjust as needed during the meeting.

2. Understand your Team Dynamics

A team is made up of people. People come from different walks of life, languages, thoughts, upbringings, and experiences.

Take the time to understand the dynamics and individual preferences of your team members. Recognize their strengths, weaknesses, and communication styles. Some team members might prefer to provide updates in a concise manner, while others may appreciate more detailed explanations.

Understanding these nuances allows you to adapt the Scrum call format and communication approach to suit the team's preferences, promoting engagement and active participation.

How to Learn your team’s dynamics?

• Observe team interactions: Pay attention to how team members interact during meetings, discussions, and informal conversations. Notice their communication styles, body language, and overall engagement levels.

• Facilitate team-building activities: Organize team-building activities that encourage collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. These activities provide valuable insights into team dynamics and individual strengths.

• Observe team performance: Monitor team performance metrics, such as sprint completion rates, defect resolution times, and customer satisfaction scores, to identify patterns and potential areas for improvement related to team dynamics.

3. Set a Positive Tone

Start the Scrum call on a positive note by creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Encourage team members to share their accomplishments, express gratitude, or acknowledge their colleagues' contributions. This sets a positive tone for the meeting and helps build a sense of camaraderie.

4. Incorporate Icebreakers or Energizers

Break the monotony. Keep team members engaged, and occasionally incorporate icebreaker activities or energizers at the beginning or end of the Scrum call. These can be short team-building exercises, trivia questions, or quick games that help lighten the mood and create a more interactive and enjoyable experience.

Icebreaker suggestions:

• Two Truths and a Lie: Each person shares three statements about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is a lie. The other team members try to guess which statement is the lie.

• This or That: The facilitator asks a series of "this or that" questions, such as "Would you rather have superpowers or be able to travel through time?" Team members raise their hands to indicate their preference.

• Show and Tell: Each person brings in an object that is meaningful to them and shares their story with the team.

5. Use Visual Aids

Incorporate visual aids, such as digital boards or physical Kanban boards, during the Scrum call. Visualizing the progress of user stories, tasks, or impediments can make the discussion more engaging and easier to follow.

Visual aids help team members get a quick overview of the sprint status and facilitate focused conversations.

6. Encourage Questions and Discussions

Actively encourage team members to ask questions, seek clarifications, or initiate discussions during the Scrum call. This promotes engagement and ensures that everyone is actively involved in the conversation. Encourage team members to provide constructive input and brainstorm solutions together.

How to facilitate questions and discussions?

• Set the expectation that questions are welcome: Clearly communicate at the beginning of each scrum call that questions are encouraged and valued. Create a safe space where team members feel comfortable asking questions without fear of judgment or ridicule.

• Ask open-ended questions: Instead of asking questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no," formulate open-ended questions that invite elaboration, discussion, and diverse perspectives.

• Actively encourage participation: Directly invite team members to share their thoughts and questions. Use phrases like, "What are your thoughts on this?" or "Does anyone have any questions or concerns?"

• Address all questions respectfully: Take the time to address all questions thoroughly and respectfully. Acknowledge the question, provide a clear and concise answer, and encourage further discussion if necessary.

• Model the behavior you want to see: As a scrum master or team leader, actively participate in discussions, ask thoughtful questions, and demonstrate a genuine interest in the team's perspectives.

• Adapt your approach based on team dynamics: Consider the individual personalities and communication styles of team members. Adjust your approach to encourage participation and ensure that all voices are heard.

7. Address Impediments and Blockers

Use the Scrum call to identify and address any impediments or blockers that team members are facing. Actively listen to their concerns and offer support or guidance. 

Help remove any obstacles that are hindering progress. By addressing impediments in a timely manner, you enable the team to stay on track and maintain their productivity.

8. Share User Insights and Feedback

Share any relevant user insights, feedback, or analytics data during the Scrum call. This helps the team understand user needs, validate assumptions, and make data-driven decisions. By providing user context, you enable the team to align their efforts with customer expectations and deliver a valuable product.

How to communicate user insights and feedback?

1. Gather User Feedback: Collect feedback through surveys, interviews, and user testing regularly.

2. Summarize Insights: Create concise summaries of key user insights, emphasizing impactful findings.

3. Integrate into Agenda: Include user feedback in the scrum call agenda with dedicated time slots for discussion.

4. Visuals and Storytelling: Present insights using visuals and real-world stories for a compelling narrative.

5. Encourage Discussion: Facilitate open team discussions, inviting thoughts and suggestions on addressing user needs.

6. Link to Product Goals: Clearly connect user feedback to product goals, showcasing its impact on overall success.

7. Prioritize Action Items: Identify and prioritize actionable items, assigning responsibilities and deadlines.

8. Track Progress: Monitor progress in addressing feedback and measure impact on user satisfaction and metrics.

9. Retrospective Reflection: Include user feedback discussions in retrospectives, identifying areas for improvement.

10. User-Centric Culture: Foster a culture valuing user insights, encouraging continuous input throughout product development.

9. Encourage Feedback and Suggestions

Actively seek feedback from your team members on how to improve the Scrum call and make it more engaging. Encourage them to share their suggestions, ideas, or concerns regarding the meeting format, topics, or overall effectiveness. By incorporating their input, you demonstrate that their opinions matter and create a sense of ownership, resulting in higher engagement and team buy-in.

10. End with Clear Action Items

Summarize the key takeaways and action items at the end of the Scrum call. Ensure that each team member knows their next steps and any follow-up actions required. Clear action items provide a sense of purpose and direction, keeping team members engaged and motivated.

Conclusion

Remember, the essence of effective scrum calls lies not in rigid adherence to a formula but in the creation of a space where team members feel heard, valued, and empowered to contribute to the collective goal. It's about fostering a culture of openness, transparency, and mutual respect, where ideas are freely exchanged, roadblocks are tackled head-on, and successes are celebrated with genuine enthusiasm.

So, embrace the transformative power of scrum calls and watch as your team's productivity, engagement, and overall success soar to new heights. Let scrum calls be the driving force behind your team's journey towards achieving exceptional results.

👩‍💼 Hot PM Jobs for Starters!

1. Product Management Intern

Vance (YC W22)
Bangalore, India
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2. Commercial Solutions - Product Management Associate

Pune, India
Hybrid
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3. Product Manager Intern

ITC Limited
Bangalore, India
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