In Marvel’s popular movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill is trying to come up with a plan to stop the villain and save the day and confesses that he only has 12% of a plan put together. As he engages support from his teammates, they each stand as they commit to the goal. As the final member, Rocket, stands he says “Well now I’m standing. Happy? We’re all standing now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle.”

Does that remind you of your Daily Scrum? That scene struck a chord with me. I hear so many students and clients complain about the Daily Scrum. Yet the things they claim not to like, only reveal that they don’t understand the point of the Daily Scrum. They believe the myths and create anti-patterns that degenerate Daily Scrum into a waste of time.  

The original copy of this post appeared in 2019. It’s time to update it since the official, free Scrum Guide was revised in November 2020.