Daily Standups

What is this?

The Daily Standup Bot is an automated tool that collects your daily standup every weekday morning via Slack DM. It replaces manual standup messages with a quick, structured form that takes less than a minute to fill out.

How it works

1. Every weekday at 7:00 AM your local time, the bot sends you a direct message in Slack with a "Start Standup" button

2. Click the button to open a short form with 3 questions:

- How busy are you? — Select from 0% to 110% (in 10% increments)

- Anything blocking your progress? — Describe any blockers (optional)

- What will you work on today? — Briefly list your tasks for the day

3. Click Submit Standup and you're done

4. Your response is immediately posted to the #daily-stand-ups channel so the whole team has visibility

Important details

- One submission per day — You can only submit once. If you try to submit again, you'll see a message saying you've already submitted

- Your timezone matters — The bot uses the timezone set in your Slack profile to send the DM at 7:00 AM your time. If your timezone isn't set, it defaults to Eastern Time (US)

- Weekdays only — No standup DMs on Saturday or Sunday

- Missing submissions are tracked — At 2:00 PM Central Time, a report of anyone who hasn't submitted is posted to the #hr channel. If you’re not submitting your daily’s, your performance will get affected.

How to set your timezone in Slack

1. Click your profile picture in the top right of Slack

2. Click Profile

3. Click Edit Profile

4. Scroll down to Time Zone and set it to your local timezone

5. Click Save Changes

This ensures you receive your standup DM at 7:00 AM in your actual time zone.

FAQ

Q: What if I miss the DM?

A: You can scroll up in your DM conversation with the bot and click the "Start Standup" button from the most recent message. As long as you haven't already submitted for the day, it will work.

Q: Can I edit my standup after submitting?

A: No. Submissions are final. Take a moment to review before clicking Submit.

Q: What if I'm on PTO or leave?

A: Let your manager know and they can add you to the exclusion list so you won't receive DMs while you're away.

Q: I didn't get a DM at 7 AM. What happened?

A: Check that your Slack timezone is set correctly (see instructions above). If it's still not working, reach out to your manager.

Q: Where can I see everyone's standups?

A: All submissions are posted to the #daily-stand-ups channel in real time.