Imagine office chatter among grumbling staff members: “There isn’t enough time in the day to add yet another meeting to our calendar, so this will never work.“

Or consider an opinion someone might voice to a colleague at the vending machine: “We already have so many regular meetings. When are we actually going to get work done?“

We hear you, and you are not wrong. Nonprofits are constantly trying to make the most of their precious time, and the last thing you need is to pack more into your already packed schedule.

But hear us out. These meetings will make your work better and your team more resilient.

You are very likely already doing most of the things that Agile and Scrum call for, using non-Scrum meeting styles and various meeting titles. Although Agile and Scrum frameworks do have you add a few new structured events to your calendar, these events often replace, streamline, or even eliminate many of the informal, less productive meetings that are already happening. That change is very good, more efficient, and perhaps even freeing!

Let’s break down the core Scrum events and how they can actually save you time and increase impact:

• Daily Scrum: This is a 15-minute (or less!) daily event where your team quickly communicates what they’ve accomplished, what they plan to do, and whether they need any help with their work towards your mission. Setting the tone for the day, this conversation homes in on important progress, immediate plans, and needs.
• Backlog Refinement: Taking less than 10% of your total Sprint time (a Sprint is your team’s defined, recurring cycle of time for advancing the team’s work), this is when your team refines upcoming work to ensure it’s clear and ready for anyone on the team to tackle. This essential discussion enables accurate, optimal productivity with minimal back-and-forth conversation later.
• Sprint Planning: In two hours or less per week of your Sprint, your team collaboratively plans the actual work for that Sprint. A clear, shared vision of Sprint-length goals cultivates focus and investment.
• Sprint Review: Each week, this one-hour (or less!) event is where your team presents completed increments (or versions) of work for feedback from stakeholders, clients, or community members. Regular feedback in a time-bound setting enhances quality.
• Sprint Retrospective: For 45 minutes or less per week of the Sprint, your team reflects on what went well, what didn’t, and what they can improve for a happier and more efficient next Sprint. Intentional, conversational self-evaluation brings about ongoing growth.

To help you envision options for this meeting structure, here are three Scrum-based, sample schedules for you to peruse. Take a moment to open your current calendar and reflect on the content and purpose of the meetings you see there. Do some of them align with the structured, purpose-driven Scrum events mapped out in these sample schedules? You might be surprised to find a good deal of overlap. You will also be pleased that your refocused time can support much more impactful results.

(Click on the images to enlarge them)

 

Download our Scrum Event Checklist to help facilitate your Scrum events.

 

The ideas and unique voice in this article are mine, but I used an AI tool to help refine the language and improve clarity.