12:00 P.M. onward – team meeting/backlog review/sprint planning

It's now the middle of the week, and this is the perfect time for everyone to get together to catch up and review progress, but also to start looking ahead to the second half of the week. So, gather your team and create a safe environment where they can share whatever may be on their mind.

There's no magic formula for this team meeting because every meeting will be different depending on your specific requirements. All I can say is that, as a manager, you should lead the way by being both open and transparent and encouraging everyone to do the same.

At these mid-week meetings, you should share the burn charts that you updated on Tuesday, while also sharing your thoughts on the team's progress from your point of view. It is certainly feasible and advisable to mold the meeting to the needs of your team members and to reflect better what's happening on the project, as well as with the wider organization.

This is important because while at first glance some things may seem critical in isolation, as soon as you put that issue into the context of an over-arching shift, such as an acquisition or restructuring plan, then it will begin to put things into perspective.

You should also use this time to openly share any challenges, as well as any achievements. As a manager who is keen to keep the project moving, it can be tempting to put a brave face on tough situations, but this is counterproductive when looking at the longer-term picture.

Accurate forward planning can only be done if everyone has the right information, such as the completeness of the final set user stories to develop. If someone in the team knows that these user stories are the toughest to develop, or if they're actually incomplete, then everyone should know this. If everyone does then know, then collectively, you can plan in extra time for this part of the sprint.