As remote and hybrid work become the new normal for many teams, there has been an uptick in processes and tools that emphasize asynchronous collaboration over synchronous communication (ie scheduling a meeting).
This shift is having a big impact on how agile teams run meetings (or "ceremonies") like daily standup (or "daily scrum"). In fact, we surveyed over 300 product managers, engineers, and scrum masters and 46% of them run their daily standup asynchronously at least 1 day per week.
Like any process, there are pros and cons to asynchronous daily standup. And it's important to understand potential outcomes before you make a shift in your team.
You may also be asking yourself "Can I just set a Slack reminder and call it a day?" You could. But there are a few Slack Bots you should consider that can help the team provide more concise and relevant information (without repeating themselves day over day), and make that information easier to summarize and track.
In this post, I'll guide you through the pros and cons of using Slack Bots for daily standup (or daily scrum), and I'll even throw in a list of five great options to get you started.
What is a standup bot for Slack?
A standup bot for Slack is like a virtual assistant whose sole mission is to supercharge your daily standup meetings. These tools integrate with Slack and help automate the process of collecting updates, tracking progress, and sharing information with your team—all without scheduling a meeting.
Typically, standup bots are used to:
- Send out daily reminders to your team members to submit their updates 📩
- Collect and compile everyone's input in a structured and organized manner 📋
- Share the compiled report with the whole team for a transparent view of the progress 🔍
- Store past standup data for easy access and analysis over time 📊
What are the benefits of using a Slack bot for standup?
The main benefits of using a standup bot for Slack is that you don't have to schedule a meeting. But here are a few reasons why some Agile teams swear by async standup:
Efficiency: Standup bots take care of the mundane tasks, like sending reminders and compiling updates, freeing you up to focus on what really matters—your team's success.
Consistency: No more missed or delayed standups! Standup bots ensure that your team's daily check-ins happen like clockwork, even if a few people are unavailable at a specific time
Flexibility: Not everyone is in the same time zone or has the same schedule. Standup bots let your team members submit their updates at a time that works best for them.
Data-driven insights: With easy access to historical standup data, you can analyze trends, spot bottlenecks, and make data-driven decisions to improve your team's performance.
So, are you ready to embrace the power of standup bots for your Agile team? Read on to discover the pros and cons and get a list of five fantastic tools to try!
Why should Agile teams consider a Slack standup bot?
From time-saving automation to better team communication, standup bots can work wonders for your team's productivity.
Saving time with automation
With their automation capabilities, standup bots can quickly compile reports and meeting summaries, saving everyone precious minutes (or even hours) in the process. No more manual report creation or email ping-pong—your bot will handle it all with efficiency and precision.
Centralizing standup reports and updates
Gone are the days of sifting through endless emails and chat messages to find standup updates. Standup bots for Slack centralize all your team's reports and updates in one easily accessible location. This means your team members can quickly find the information they need, stay informed, and make better decisions.
Keeping the team up-to-date on project status
A well-informed team is a high-performing team. Standup bots ensure that everyone stays up-to-date on the project status by automatically sharing daily updates in Slack. This real-time visibility into each team member's progress helps to identify and address issues early on, and it also fosters a sense of accountability and unity among your team.
Reduce time spent in meetings
Because they facilitate asynchronous standups, your team members can just submit updates at their convenience instead of spending time in a meeting. This is particularly beneficial for remote or distributed teams, where time zones and schedules can be a real challenge.
However, relying solely on asynchronous standups can have its pitfalls:
The team may not read each other's check-ins: It's possible that team members might skim through or even miss others' updates, leading to a lack of communication and missed opportunities for collaboration.
Progress and risk are harder to spot: Without a live discussion, it can be more difficult to identify and address potential roadblocks, slowing down your team's progress.
Trust and connection degrade: Asynchronous standups can lack the personal touch and camaraderie of a live meeting, which could erode trust and connection among team members over time.
Pros and cons of using a standup bot for Slack
Like any tool or process, there are pros and there are cons. And Standup Bots are no exception. While they can make your Agile team's life much easier in many ways, it's important to weigh the benefits against the drawbacks before making a decision.
Pros
Fewer meetings: Standup bots automate the collection and sharing of updates, freeing up valuable time for your team to focus on what really matters—their work.
Consistent communication: By sending daily reminders and compiling updates, standup bots ensure that your team stays in sync and maintains a steady rhythm of communication.
Data-driven decision-making: Standup bots help store and analyze standup data, enabling your team to make well-informed decisions and improve performance over time.
Flexible and inclusive: Standup bots cater to remote or distributed teams by allowing members to submit updates asynchronously, accommodating whatever standup meeting format you use and different time zones and schedules.
Improved accountability: With transparent and visible updates, standup bots can foster a culture of accountability and shared responsibility among team members.
Cons
Potential for impersonal communication: Relying too heavily on standup bots (and async standups) might make your team's communication feel less personal, potentially diminishing team camaraderie and morale. That’s why having a tool that supports both live and async standups is ideal!
Information overload: With a bot churning out updates and reports, there's a chance that team members may feel overwhelmed by the influx of information and not read everything.
Technology hiccups: As with any software tool, standup bots might experience glitches or downtime, which could temporarily disrupt your team's routine.
Cost: Some standup bots come with a price tag, which may be a consideration for budget-conscious teams or smaller organizations.
As you can see, standup bots for Slack offer a range of benefits, but they're not without their drawbacks. It's essential to choose the right tool and strike a balance between leveraging their capabilities and maintaining a human touch in your team's communication.
5 Powerful standup bots for Slack
If you've weighed the pros and cons and want to give async standup a shot, here are the best tools to consider.
1. Spinach.io
Spinach is like an AI Scrum Master that helps your team streamline repetitive tasks, like facilitating agle meetings. Spinach is different from the other tools on this list because of its ability to support both synchronous and asynchronous standups.
As I mentioned before, relying only on async standups alone can lead to a reduction in engagement and team trust. That’s why using a Slack standup bot that supports live and async standups will best set you up for success. You can go async a few times a week for the benefits we covered, and also meet live a few times a week without losing and history or context.
Spinach will send the team a notification in Slack before standup, giving everyone context from the prior standup (whether it was live or async) and encourages them to think about their update for today, so that the meeting can be more focused and engaging.
Its integrations with video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet allow it to run your standups for you, Everything you need is displayed right there on the call, so no screen sharing is required. After standup is over, it automatically generates meeting summaries and action items in Slack. It even suggests Jira tickets based on your discussion.
Check out Spinach’s integration with Slack to learn more on how it will streamline your standup meetings.
Features and integrations
- Supports live and async standups 📆
- Customizable standup questions 🎯
- Automatic reminders and summaries 📬
- Timezone-friendly scheduling ⏰
- Writes status reports for stakeholders 📊
- Integrations: Slack, Jira, Zoom, Google Meet 🤝
2. Geekbot
Geekbot is another popular option for managing your Slack standups. It's designed to save time and increase transparency while being super easy to set up and use. What sets Geekbot apart is its simplicity, making it an excellent choice for teams that want a no-fuss, straightforward standup bot experience.
Features and integrations
- Customizable standup questions
- Asynchronous standups
- Team and individual reports
- Participation tracking
- Integrations: Slack, Jira, GitHub, GitLab
3. Standuply
Standuply is a versatile Slack standup bot that's great for Agile teams. It's designed to automate standup meetings, retrospectives, and more, all in one handy tool. Standuply stands out with its range of advanced features, making it a great option for teams looking for a comprehensive standup bot solution.
Features and integrations
- Customizable standup questions
- Retrospectives and planning poker
- Team performance tracking
- Integrations: Slack, Jira, Trello, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
4. Kyber
Kyber is a Slack standup bot that's all about helping teams stay organized and productive. It combines standup meetings, task management, and communication in one convenient package. Kyber's unique selling point is its integration of task management features, making it a good choice for teams that want to streamline their standups and to-do lists.
Features and integrations
- Customizable standup questions
- Task management and reminders
- Meeting scheduling and agendas
- Personal productivity insights
- Integrations: Slack, Jira, GitHub, Asana, Trello
5. Polly
Polly is a standup bot for Slack that also focuses on surveys and feedback. It's designed to help teams streamline their standup meetings, gather feedback, and track team morale. Polly's standout feature is its built-in survey and poll capabilities, making it an excellent choice for teams that want to gather regular feedback and insights.
Features and integrations
- Surveys for collecting feedback
- Custom templates catering to specific requirements
- Automated onboarding check-ins
- Integrations: Slack, Jira, Zoom, and Zapier
Streamline your standups with Spinach’s standup bot for Slack
Any tool on this list is a great option. But if you're looking for a way to get all the pros of async standup and avoid some of the cons, Spinach is the only tool that supports both live and async standup. Invite Spinach to your next standup to see for yourself.
try spinach for free