5 Tips on How to Run Better Weekly Standups Across Functions

The dreaded standup meeting! Cross-functional standups can easily spiral into update overload or vague hand-waving. Here’s how to make them sharper, faster, and actually useful:

  1. start with an agenda
    agendas are meeting gold-dust. They allow everyone to prepare thoughts by checking the agenda beforehand and keep the standup structured and time sensitive.

  2. structure by outcomes, not departments
    group updates by goal or OKR theme, not by team. This shows how work connects and surfaces dependencies early.

  3. keep it tight
    limit each speaker to 2 minute monologues. Encourage async written updates beforehand to save time and let the live call focus on blockers, asks, and decisions.

  4. surface blockers boldly
    create space where people feel safe to say “I’m stuck” or “I need help from X team.” That’s where standups earn their value.

  5. end with clear follow-ups
    wrap with action items, who owns them, and what’s due by next week. No fuzz.

optional bonus: rotate who hosts each week to keep things fresh and build shared ownership.

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