During a daily standup, team members gather to provide updates on their progress, discuss any obstacles they are facing, and coordinate their tasks for the day. Taking notes during the standup helps team members stay organized, remember action items, and track progress on tasks.

After the standup, the notes taken can be used to create a summary of the meeting, distribute action items to team members, and serve as a reference point for future discussions or decisions. These notes can also be shared with team members who were unable to attend, ensuring everyone is kept informed and on the same page.

Good daily standup notes should be concise, focusing on what was accomplished yesterday, what will be worked on today, and any blockers or challenges faced by team members.

1. Understand the purpose of the daily standup meeting and what information needs to be captured.

2. Familiarize yourself with the team's project or tasks to accurately document progress, blockers, and next steps.

3. Be an active listener during the standup to capture important details and updates.

4. Use a consistent format or template for your notes to ensure clarity and organization.

5. Be concise and focus on key points to make the notes easy to review and reference later.

Daily standup notes: Key items

• Progress updates: Each team member should provide a brief update on the tasks they have completed since the last standup. This helps keep everyone informed on the overall progress of the project and ensures work is being completed on time.

• Roadblocks: Team members should mention any obstacles or challenges they are facing that are hindering progress. This allows the team to offer support and assistance to keep the project on track.

• Plans for the day: Each team member should outline their tasks for the day and any goals they hope to achieve. This ensures everyone is aligned on priorities and working toward the same objectives.

• Dependencies: Team members should highlight any tasks that rely on the completion of other tasks or require input from others. This helps identify potential bottlenecks and ensures smooth workflow.

• Celebrations: Recognizing achievements or milestones reached since the last standup helps boost morale and motivation, fostering a positive and supportive work environment.

Common mistakes in taking daily standup notes (and how to avoid them)

• Not capturing action items: Failing to document tasks assigned during the standup can lead to important work being forgotten or overlooked.

• Not documenting blockers: If blockers aren't recorded, issues that hinder progress may go unresolved.

• Not including progress updates: Without tracking progress, it’s difficult to assess the team’s overall workflow and address potential slowdowns.

• Disorganized notes: Poorly structured notes can make it hard to reference key information, causing confusion and inefficiencies.

• Not sharing notes with the team: If notes aren’t distributed, miscommunication and misunderstandings may occur, leaving team members unaware of updates or action items.

Avoid these mistakes:

• Automatically assigning action items based on discussions.

• Documenting blockers mentioned by team members.

• Including progress updates in the notes.

• Structuring notes clearly for easy reference.

• Sharing standup notes automatically with the entire team.

How do we make sure that follow ups for my daily standup actually happen?

After a standup, follow-ups may include addressing blockers, scheduling additional discussions, or assigning tasks to ensure progress on key projects.

Here are some examples of what you can use Circleback to automate:

• Automatically send meeting notes and action items to all team members after each daily standup.

• Integrate with Zapier to create tasks in project management tools like Trello or Asana.

• Send a summary of key insights and updates to a designated Slack channel for team visibility.

• Update CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce with new leads or opportunities discussed.

• Automatically create tasks in tools like Monday or Linear for assigned action items.