Practice knowledge base
Asynchronous Check-ins
Asynchronous check-ins move brief status updates to text, a board, or a form, allowing the team to track progress without mandatory calls.
Documentation sections
What it is
This is a team ritual where participants regularly write short status updates instead of meeting. Typically, the team records what has been completed, what is planned next, and where help is needed. The practice addresses the problem of excessive calls in remote and hybrid work, but is less suitable for complex discussions where a quick decision on a contentious issue is required.
When it helps
- Daily stand-ups take up time but rarely yield decisions or important clarifications.
- The team works in different time zones or on different schedules and can’t easily gather at the same time.
- Status updates get lost in chat, and the manager has to ask about progress separately.
- Employees complain of meeting fatigue, but the manager still needs an overview of blockers.
How to start
- 1 Choose one place for status updates: a channel, a task board, or a short form.
- 2 Set a template of three questions: what’s done, what’s next, where help is needed.
- 3 Assign an owner who reviews the responses and brings blockers into separate discussions.
- 4 Run a trial cycle with one team and replace some of their regular stand-ups with it.
- 5 After a week, check which questions still require a live conversation and keep a separate format for them.
Expected effect
The team spends less time on calls just for status updates, and the manager sees progress and blockers in one place. It's easier for participants to work on their own schedule because basic synchronization isn’t tied to a single time.
Common pitfalls
- Replacing discussions that require debate, option selection, or emotionally difficult feedback with asynchronous status updates.
- Not assigning a person who reads the answers and helps remove blockers.
- Making the form too long: the team starts writing reports for the sake of reporting.
- Leaving old stand-ups unchanged, so the practice adds work instead of reducing meetings.
Further reading
- Book: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Remote: Office Not Required
- Book: Cal Newport, A World Without Email
- Documentation: GitLab, All-Remote Handbook, sections on asynchronous communication
FAQ
Who should own the practice?
Usually the team or project owner. They set the template, monitor regularity, and turn important blockers into separate decisions or short discussions.
Can stand-ups be canceled completely?
Not always. Start by replacing some status meetings. Keep a live format for topics where you need to quickly agree on a decision, resolve a conflict, or untangle a complex problem together.
How to tell if the format is working?
Statuses appear in one place, blockers don’t wait for the next meeting, and the team gathers less often just to recap what’s been done. If people are duplicating answers in chats, simplify the template or the place where updates are recorded.
What if people don’t write statuses?
Check whether the team actually needs this ritual and whether it’s too long. Shorten the template, show how answers help remove blockers, and don’t demand detailed reports without practical benefit.