Power of a good demonstration
How many of you have watched the movie “Jurassic park” ?. if so see whether you remember this section.
Look at the way John Hammond demonstrated the dinosaur world to his colleagues. Look at the ‘Wow’ feeling of them all. First they got the real experience of the dinosaurs. Then only they saw how he has done it. This is the way we should do our demonstrations. At the end of the sprint we have to show what we have done and impress the customers.
Demonstration is the phase where we review the product being developed. When doing a demonstration we have to think about three components. That is product, presentation and people. Demonstration is all about the product being developed. This is where acceptance criteria, sprint objectives are coming in to play. Then People, it’s the stakeholders who we are doing the demonstration to. People are different. Therefore we have to study all the stakeholders and differentiate the way we present to each stakeholder. Next is the presentation. Its about the commitment of doing a good presentation.
Lets see few important things that we should consider when doing a demonstration.
- Make sure everything is ready
Before start the demonstration it is essential to prepare everything that you need for the demonstration. Make sure mics are ready, Network connection is OK, all the servers are ready, all the input data is ready or else you have all the backup plans if something goes wrong. Why we should worry bout these things this much? because first impression matters a lot. Simple little mistakes can give very bad results later.
2. Introduction is essential
At the start we have to give a proper introduction to the demonstration. Which sprint is this, what were the sprint objectives, how many user stories were taken to the sprint etc. This little introduction will gives a better understanding about what we are going to demonstrate next. It is a big help to all the stakeholders who are participating.
3. Explain everything you do
Most of the time overseas customers are connecting remotely. In that case we have to share our desktop screens to do the demonstration. Many presenters do a big mistake where they click, move the mouse here and there without explaining what is doing. it will make participants to lost their attention. make sure to explain everything you do as people from other side have to understand each and every thing you do.
4. Use realistic data
Using realistic data at the demonstration always helps the audience to feel the real experience of the product.
5. Do not try to fix issues at the demonstration
It is obvious that sometimes issues can arise at the demonstration. in such a situation make sure not to fix issues. because when you are trying to fix issues some more new bugs can arise. If you come across such a situation, inform the the audience that there is an issue but make sure to proceed with the next part.
6. Update your PO - No Surprises
Think about the mindset of your PO, if you inform that you couldn't complete few user stories at the demo. Very bad surprise to him..isn't it? Please do not wait until the demo to update your PO. Make sure inform everything beforehand and set the client exception.
7. Write down your notes
Most probably you will forget what you have discussed at the demonstration. Therefore do not forget to write down your notes. Things changed and things you agreed to do in the next sprint should be remembered.
8. Summarize
It is a best practice to summarize everything at the end of the demo. It always gives a better understanding of what you have completed,what have been changed and what you have planned for the next sprint.
9. Rehearse , Rehearse and Rehearse
To do a better demonstration preparation and practice is a must. Before do the demo please practice the scenario,flow and the presentation at least twice.
