The primary purpose of a standup seems to be a forcing function. It forces developers to make progress. The embarrassment factor of having to admit you did not

The primary purpose of a standup seems to be a forcing function. It forces developers to make progress. The embarrassment factor of having to admit you did not finish your tasks for the day is what drives these meetings. I've been through the grind on both sides: as a developer and as a manager. I thoroughly detest stand-ups. When I started my company, I decided not to do them. I have a one-on-one with each developer everyday to understand progress. I don't ask for progress reports, since I can see their commit history. This seems to more effective than wasting their time and mine in a pointless meeting. I still do stand-ups with sales people though. They seem to like the camaraderie of the big meeting.