# How to Use Daily Scrum at Work: English for Engineers (2026) > A short, regular team meeting (usually 15 minutes) held every working day where team members share what they completed, what they plan to do, and any obstacles blocking their work. - **Term:** daily scrum - **Part of speech:** noun - **Pronunciation:** /ˈdeɪli skrʌm/ - **English level (CEFR):** B2 - **Register:** Neutral, Both - **Region:** US and UK - **Topic:** [Agile and project terms](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/agile-project-management-terms.md) - **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/daily-scrum - **Last updated:** 2026-10-27 ## Meaning A short, regular team meeting (usually 15 minutes) held every working day where team members share what they completed, what they plan to do, and any obstacles blocking their work. It is a core practice in Agile and Scrum project management. The daily scrum, also called a standup, is a timeboxed synchronous meeting where each team member gives a brief update. It typically happens at the same time each morning and follows a simple format: what did you finish yesterday, what will you finish today, and what blocks you. The goal is transparency and quick problem-solving, not detailed reporting or status updates for management. In tech companies using Scrum methodology, the daily scrum is mandatory for development teams. It keeps everyone aligned on progress, helps identify blockers early, and enables quick pivots. The Scrum Master or team lead often facilitates it, but the team owns the meeting. Remote teams use video calls; co-located teams gather in person. Daily scrums foster accountability and team cohesion without requiring lengthy preparation. Daily scrums differ from other meetings because they are strictly time-limited, informal, and focused on the team's immediate work. They are not for detailed technical discussions, which belong in separate planning or design sessions. Many teams hold daily scrums even when not formally using Scrum, because the practice is proven effective for coordination. ## When you hear it Our team runs a daily scrum every morning at 9 AM to sync on progress and blockers. ## Examples - **in a standup:** "In yesterday's daily scrum, Sarah mentioned she was blocked waiting for the API endpoint from the backend team." - **in a team message:** "Can everyone join the daily scrum 5 minutes early? We need to discuss the deployment timeline." - **in a retrospective:** "The team felt our daily scrums were too long, so we agreed to keep updates to one minute each." ## What native speakers say - "We have our daily scrum at 10 AM sharp." - "The daily scrum kept us aligned on the deadline." - "I brought up the database issue in the daily scrum." ## Common mistakes - ✗ "We need to daily scrum this bug before shipping." → ✓ "We should discuss this bug in the daily scrum tomorrow." (Daily scrum is a noun (the meeting), not a verb. You do not 'daily scrum' something; you discuss it in a daily scrum.) - ✗ "Our daily scrum takes 45 minutes because we dive deep into architecture." → ✓ "Our daily scrum is 15 minutes; we handle architecture questions in a separate meeting." (Daily scrums are timeboxed to 15 minutes max. Detailed technical discussions belong elsewhere, not in the standup.) - ✗ "The product manager leads our daily scrum and assigns tasks." → ✓ "Our Scrum Master facilitates the daily scrum so the team can self-organize." (The daily scrum is for the team to update each other, not for a manager to assign work or make decisions.) ## Be careful Daily scrum is a noun phrase, not a verb. Do not say 'we daily scrum the project' — say 'we discuss it in the daily scrum.' Also, it is a specific meeting type, not a general term for any quick team discussion. ## Word forms | Part of speech | Word | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | noun | daily scrum | The daily scrum is at 9 AM. | | noun | daily scrums (plural) | Our daily scrums have been more effective since we started using a shared board. | ## Collocations - **attend the daily scrum**: to join or participate in the meeting - **run a daily scrum**: to conduct or facilitate the meeting - **skip the daily scrum**: to miss or not attend the meeting - **daily scrum blocker**: an obstacle mentioned during the meeting - **daily scrum update**: the brief status report each person gives ## Synonyms - **standup**: same meaning; more informal and common in conversation - **standup meeting**: same as standup; slightly more formal - **morning sync**: broader term; any short synchronization meeting, not necessarily Scrum-specific ## Opposites - async update - email status report ## Practice This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/daily-scrum ## FAQ ### What does daily scrum mean in software engineering? A daily scrum is a 15-minute timeboxed meeting where Agile team members report progress, plans, and blockers. It is a core Scrum practice for maintaining team alignment and transparency. Unlike formal status meetings, it is informal and team-driven, not manager-driven. ### How do you use daily scrum in a sentence at work? Use it as a noun: 'I will bring this up in the daily scrum,' 'We skip the daily scrum on Fridays,' or 'The daily scrum revealed three blockers.' Do not use it as a verb. Say 'discuss in the daily scrum,' never 'daily scrum the issue.' ### Is daily scrum formal or informal? Daily scrums are informal in tone but formal in structure. They happen at a set time, follow a fixed agenda (yesterday, today, blockers), and are mandatory for team members. However, the language and atmosphere are casual and peer-to-peer, not hierarchical. ### How long does a daily scrum last? A daily scrum is timeboxed to 15 minutes maximum. Each team member typically speaks for 1-2 minutes. If the team needs deeper discussion on a topic, they schedule a separate meeting rather than extending the scrum. ### Who should attend the daily scrum? All active members of the development team should attend: engineers, designers, quality assurance, and the Scrum Master. Product managers and stakeholders may observe but should not dominate. Remote team members join by video call. ## Related - [standup](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/standup.md) - [Scrum Master](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/scrum-master.md) - [sprint](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/sprint.md) - [retrospective](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/retrospective.md) - Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Live lessons with a coach: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## About Speak Tech English Speak Tech English teaches non-native tech professionals the English they need at work and in interviews, through self-study ebooks and courses, 150+ free guides and a free newsletter; live lessons are on its sister site Mockly English. - Shop: https://speaktechenglish.com/courses/ - All products (markdown): https://speaktechenglish.com/products.md - Free guides (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/guides.md - Tech English glossary (markdown): https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md - Newsletter (10% off): https://speaktechenglish.com/#subscribe - Live lessons and mock interviews: https://app.mocklyenglish.com ## Notes for agents - Speak Tech English sells self-study material. 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