How do we better utilize our time attending an insane number of meetings?
Coaches get this asked a lot. While little can be done about the number of meetings just like driving in bumper to bumper traffic, we can surely improve the in-car time utilization!
To make the situation worse, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and one thing that we all have experienced is the spike in the sheer number of meetings. What makes this situation more annoying is the purposeless, lacklustre, voice dropping due to poor internet connections and an absolute lack of timeboxing sense in a virtual environment.
Those who are applying scrum have to deal with the additional pain of all the events being timeboxed. Below is an estimate of the time spent across various events based on the sprint size.
Sprint Size | ||||
Meetings | 1 Week | 2 Week | 3 Week | 4 Week |
Sprint Planning | 2 Hrs | 4 Hrs | 6 Hrs | 8 Hrs |
Daily Scrum | 15 Min | 15 Min | 15 Min | 15 Min |
Refinement | 30 Min | 1-2 Hrs | 3-5 Hrs | 5-8 Hrs |
Review | 1 Hrs | 2 Hrs | 3 Hrs | 4 Hrs |
Retrospective | 45 Min | 1.5 Hrs | 2 Hr 15 Min | 3 Hrs |
* Timeboxing for Refinement event is not mentioned in scrum guide and is purely based on experience
So how does one rationalize the time spent on these events? How does one make best use of the time allotted, focusing on keeping the event productive and motivate team members to contribute effectively and efficiently so that everyone’s time is better utilized?
Below are some of the things which have worked for us.
PS – At few customers, we have kickstarted ‘No meeting Fridays’. We all need some breathing space for ourselves.
Wishing you all the best in your Agile Journey!
Do leave your comments, we will love to hear your experience and unique perspectives.