I would argue what the author is commenting on is a problem of poor implementation. The author admits people describing what the person did over the weekend. T

I would argue what the author is commenting on is a problem of poor implementation. The author admits people describing what the person did over the weekend. There is no place for that or discussion in Standup. Each person should take no more than 30 seconds except on the rare blockers. Ideally for a team of 6-8 we're speaking 3-4 minutes. Yesterday? Today? Blocking? We require every member to have their item list pulled up already and ready to talk without hemming or hawing. I could easily agree that Yesterday/Today could be removed. As a team lead, it's a very nice way of getting a daily rundown in a structured, fast way. Also, if something shows up too often, it's a sign it's time to dive in, but, again, if there's too much resistance, it goes. Blockers are a must. What's blocking you? X. Once you've said X, many times it's immediately known who can help. If the PM cannot immediately prescribe helpers, the standup slows to hear what the gist of the problem is and volunteers/leads are asked for to step up to carve out time at 2... 3... after lunch, whenever - the key is an agreed upon time to tackle the issue. In the end, I think I'm saying the same thing as the author, but I don't think it's necessary to speak so poorly about Standup. Unblocking is everything.