Choosing the Right Meeting Type

NASA - Not Another Standup App offers two primary meeting types: Standups and Team Meetings. This guide will help you understand the differences between these meeting types and choose the right one for your team's needs.

Meeting Type Comparison

When to Use a Standup

Standups are ideal for:

Daily Scrum

• Quick synchronization of team activities

• Identifying blockers early

• Maintaining a daily rhythm

• Following the classic "Yesterday, Today, Blockers" format

Status Updates

• Brief check-ins on project progress

• Keeping distributed teams connected

• Ensuring everyone is aligned on priorities

Quick Problem Identification

• Surfacing issues that need attention

• Highlighting dependencies between team members

• Rapid escalation of blockers

Key Indicators: Choose Standup when you need a brief, focused meeting with minimal overhead, where each person speaks in turn about their work.

When to Use a Team Meeting

Team Meetings are better suited for:

Sprint Planning

• Breaking down user stories

• Estimating work

• Assigning tasks

• Setting sprint goals

Sprint Review/Demo

• Presenting completed work

• Gathering feedback

• Discussing achievements and challenges

• Planning next steps

Retrospectives

• Reflecting on what went well

• Identifying improvement areas

• Creating action items

• Team building

Brainstorming Sessions

• Generating ideas

• Collaborative problem-solving

• Creating and organizing content on the fly

• Documenting decisions

Key Indicators: Choose Team Meeting when you need structured discussion around multiple topics, with the ability to create and organize content during the meeting.

Decision Guide

Consider these factors when choosing your meeting type:

Time Constraints

• 15 minutes or less: Standup

• 30+ minutes: Team Meeting

Discussion Depth

• Quick updates only: Standup

• In-depth discussion needed: Team Meeting

Content Creation

• Minimal live editing: Standup

• Significant content creation during meeting: Team Meeting

Meeting Frequency

• Daily: Typically Standup

• Weekly or bi-weekly: Often Team Meeting

Converting Between Meeting Types

If you find your standups regularly running long or evolving into deeper discussions, consider:

1. Splitting Your Approach:

   • Keep daily standups brief

   • Schedule a separate Team Meeting for deeper topics

2. Changing Stream Type:

   • Create a new stream with the desired meeting type

   • Transfer your participants and settings

   • Archive the old stream if no longer needed

Note: You cannot convert an existing stream from one meeting type to another. You must create a new stream with the desired type.

Best Practices for Both Meeting Types

Regardless of which meeting type you choose:

• Prepare thoroughly: Use My Update before the meeting

• Respect the timer: Keep discussions focused and brief

• Flag for follow-up: Use the flag feature for items needing more discussion

• Review the Team Journal: Check the meeting record afterward

• Iterate on your approach: Adjust your meeting format based on team feedback

Getting Started with Your Chosen Meeting Type

• For Standups, see Standup Meetings

• For Team Meetings, see Team Meetings

• For configuration options, see Meeting Settings

Next: Explore User Guides by Role to understand how different team members interact with NASA.