The Art of Agile Development

Iteration Demo

Note

Product Manager, Whole Team

We keep it real.

An XP team produces working software every week, starting with the very first week.

Sound impossible? It’s not. It’s merely difficult. It takes a lot of discipline to keep that pace. Programmers need discipline to keep the code clean so they can continue to make progress. Customers need discipline to fully understand and communicate one set of features before starting another. Testers need discipline to work on software that changes daily.

The rewards for this hard work are significantly reduced risk, a lot of energy and fun, and the satisfaction of doing great work and seeing progress. The biggest challenge is keeping your momentum.

The iteration demo is a powerful way to do so. First, it’s a concrete demonstration of the team’s progress. The team is proud to show off its work, and stakeholders are happy to see progress.

Important

Iteration demos help keep the team honest.

Second, the demos help the team be honest about its progress. Iteration demos are open to all stakeholders, and some companies even invite external customers to attend. It’s harder to succumb to the temptation to push an iteration deadline “just one day” when stakeholders expect a demo.

Finally, the demo is an opportunity to solicit regular feedback from the customers. Nothing speaks more clearly to stakeholders than working, usable software. Demonstrating your project makes it and your progress immediately visible and concrete. It gives stakeholders an opportunity ...