Find a standup time the whole team can make
A standup only works if it is the same time every day and nobody has a standing conflict with it. Propose two or three candidate slots, let the team vote, and lock the one with full attendance.
How to set a standup time in four steps
Propose two or three realistic slots
Offer a small set, typically early morning, just after core hours start, and one late-morning option. Keep the block to 15 minutes so the poll reflects the meeting you intend to run.
Share one link in the team channel
Post the poll link in Slack or Teams. Nobody installs anything or connects a calendar to answer, which matters when the team includes contractors and people outside your workspace.
Let everyone mark Yes, Maybe or No
Maybe is the useful signal here: a slot that is technically free but collides with school drop-off will get a Maybe rather than a silent Yes followed by three months of absences. Times render in each person's own time zone.
Lock the slot and make it recurring
Lock the time and everyone exports it to Google, Outlook, Apple or Yahoo Calendar. Set the recurrence in your own calendar once the group has agreed on the slot.
Why vote on a standup instead of picking one
- A slot chosen by one person tends to hit someone's commute, childcare or overlapping team ritual, and attendance quietly erodes from week two.
- Distributed teams need a slot inside their overlap window. Automatic time-zone conversion means nobody does the arithmetic themselves and gets it wrong.
- Live results show which slot is contested, so you can talk about the real constraint instead of relitigating the calendar every sprint.
- Contractors, agency partners and part-time members answer without an account, so the decision is not limited to people on your internal calendar.
- Each person votes with a few taps, so it is easier to hear from all nine instead of five.
Put your times in a poll
Tap a few times on a calendar, share one link and let the group vote.
Teams that settle standups this way
Engineering teams across time zones
One squad split between Europe and the US east coast. The poll shows the overlap window, so the lead does not have to guess at it.
Teams with contractors
People outside the company calendar can still answer, so you find out about their existing commitments before you set the ritual.
New teams forming
The first week is when the standup slot gets set for the next year. A poll that week is better than inheriting a bad time.
Teams changing an existing slot
Moving a standup is politically easier when the new time comes out of a visible group vote rather than one person's preference.
Standup scheduling questions
What is the best time for a daily standup?
There is no universal answer, which is why a vote works better than a rule of thumb. In practice, teams in one time zone usually land 30 to 60 minutes after the earliest person's start time, and distributed teams land inside the overlap window. The poll tells you which of those your team can keep.
Can I use this for a recurring meeting?
Yes. Decider settles which slot the group agrees on. Once it is locked, everyone adds it to their calendar and you set the recurrence there, so the recurring event lives in the calendar system your team already uses.
Do team members need an account?
No. The people you invite open the link and vote. Only the organizer creates an account, and creating polls is free.
How does it handle time zones?
Every slot renders in the viewer's own time zone automatically, so a 09:00 CET proposal shows as 03:00 for someone in New York for most of the year, and they can react to what it means for them.
How long should the standup slot be?
Propose the block at the length you intend to run, usually 15 minutes. Proposing an hour and running 15 minutes teaches people to ignore the calendar block, which makes the next scheduling round harder.
Other groups people schedule with Decider
- Holiday party pollPick the office holiday party or family Christmas date with a poll: propose a few dates, share one link, everyone votes.
- Book club schedulingFind a book club meeting date that works for the whole group without a long group chat.
- Sports team schedulingSet practice and match times your squad can commit to, and see who is available before you book the pitch.
- Study group schedulingFind a study session time around everyone's lectures, shifts and commutes with one shared link.
Set a standup time that sticks
Decider is free, the voting page has no ads, and the people you invite do not need an account.