IT Phrases Guide
English Phrases for Remote Standup — IT Professional's Guide
English phrases and vocabulary for daily standups in remote and async teams — structured, concise, and informative.
7 phrases across 2 situations · 3 phrases to avoid · 5 exercises · 10 FAQ items
Standup Update
- Yesterday I [completed / worked on] [task]. Today I'm picking up [task]. No blockers.The classic three-question standup format
"Yesterday I finished the auth migration. Today I'm starting on the session expiry logic. No blockers."
- I'm blocked on [issue] — [name], are you able to help after standup?Flagging a blocker and naming a resolver
"I'm blocked on the staging environment being down — Dev-Ops, are you able to look at it after standup?"
- No update from yesterday — I was in [meetings/on leave]. Picking up [task] today.Explaining a gap day without over-explaining
"No update from yesterday — I was in all-day interviews. Picking up the data pipeline work today."
- I'm carrying over [task] — ran into [issue], will update by EOD.When a task is rolling over from yesterday
"I'm carrying over the API rate limiter — hit an unexpected edge case with retries, will update by EOD."
Async Standup
- Async update: Done: [X]. Doing: [Y]. Blocked: [Z] or None.Written async standup format
"Async update — Done: CI pipeline fix. Doing: load testing setup. Blocked: None."
- Flagging for async: [issue] — I'll DM [name] for context.Surfacing an issue in async format
"Flagging for async: the prod cert expires Friday — I'll DM Tom for context on the renewal process."
- Note: I'm [time zone / working hours] this week — async responses may be delayed.Setting expectations for cross-timezone standup
"Note: I'm UTC+9 this week — async responses may be a few hours delayed."
Phrases to Avoid
These common phrasings undermine your professionalism. Here are better alternatives.
"Busy" is uninformative. Name the specific task so the team understands where time went.
"Same as yesterday" gives no insight into progress or current state. A brief update keeps the team informed.
Deflecting to Slack without any standup update defeats the purpose of the standup. Give the headline, then direct to Slack for details.
Practice Exercises
Choose the most professional or correct phrase for each scenario.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a standup last?
A standup should last 15 minutes or less for a team of up to 8. Each person should take 1–2 minutes maximum. If discussions arise, "take it offline" — schedule a follow-up rather than extending standup.
What does "take it offline" mean?
"Take it offline" means to have a detailed discussion outside the meeting — either in a separate call, Slack thread, or face-to-face. It keeps the standup focused.
What is an "async standup"?
An async (asynchronous) standup is a written update posted in Slack or a dedicated tool (like Geekbot), typically following the Done/Doing/Blocked format, instead of a live video call.
What does "blocker" mean?
A blocker is anything preventing you from making progress on your current task — a missing dependency, an unanswered question, a technical issue, or access that hasn't been granted.
What is "DORA" in engineering?
DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) metrics are four key measurements: Deployment Frequency, Lead Time for Changes, Change Failure Rate, and MTTR. They benchmark engineering team performance.
What does "WIP limit" mean in Kanban?
A WIP (Work in Progress) limit is a cap on how many tasks can be in a given state simultaneously. It prevents overloading and encourages finishing tasks before starting new ones.
What is "walking the board" in a standup?
"Walking the board" means reviewing the Kanban or sprint board column by column (right to left — closest to done first), rather than going person by person. It focuses on work items, not individuals.
What does "impediment" mean?
An impediment is anything slowing or blocking the team — it's the Scrum term for a blocker. The Scrum Master is responsible for removing impediments.
What is the difference between a standup and a status meeting?
A standup is a short team synchronisation (15 minutes, standing up). A status meeting is a longer, often hierarchical update to management. Standups are for the team; status meetings are for stakeholders.
What does "carrying over" a task mean?
"Carrying over" means a task planned for the current day or sprint wasn't completed and is moving to the next day or sprint. It's normal — the key is to explain why and what's remaining.