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03_project_update_and_demo_guidelines

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Project Update and Demo Guidelines

Regularly demonstrating progress is crucial for maintaining alignment with the client and gathering feedback. This SOP provides guidelines for our two main forms of updates: the weekly status report and the sprint demo.

1. Weekly Status Report

  • Purpose: To provide a concise, asynchronous update on the project’s health and progress.
  • Audience: Client stakeholders (and internal team).
  • Channel: Email.
  • When: Sent every Friday afternoon.
  • Owner: The Project Manager is responsible for compiling and sending the report.

Report Content:

  1. High-Level Summary:
    • Start with a quick, high-level overview of the project’s status using a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) indicator.
    • Green: On track.
    • Amber: Minor risks or delays; a plan is in place.
    • Red: Serious issues impacting schedule or budget.
  2. Progress This Week:
    • A bulleted list of key accomplishments and features completed.
    • Focus on user-facing value, not technical jargon.
    • Link to the relevant tasks in the project management tool.
  3. Goals for Next Week:
    • A high-level look at the priorities for the upcoming week/sprint.
  4. Blockers, Risks, and Issues:
    • Clearly list anything that is impeding progress or could threaten the project’s success.
  5. Action Items for the Client:
    • If we need anything from the client (e.g., feedback, content, credentials), list it here clearly.

2. Sprint Demo

  • Purpose: To provide a live demonstration of the working software and get real-time feedback.
  • Audience: Client stakeholders and the internal project team.
  • Channel: A scheduled video call.
  • When: At the end of every sprint (typically every two weeks).

Demo Preparation:

  1. Decide What to Show: The development team and Project Manager should agree on which completed stories will be demoed.
  2. Assign Presenters: The developers who built the features should be the ones to demo them.
  3. Do a Dry Run:
    • This is a mandatory step.
    • The team should do a quick internal dry run of the demo to ensure everything works as expected on the staging/demo environment.
    • This helps catch any last-minute bugs and ensures a smooth presentation.
  4. Prepare the Environment: Make sure the demo environment is stable and has any necessary data set up.

Demo Execution:

  1. Set the Stage: The Project Manager starts the meeting by reviewing the sprint goal and agenda.
  2. Show, Don’t Just Tell:
    • Walk through the user flow from the user’s perspective.
    • Explain the value of the new feature.
  3. Keep it Concise: Each feature demo should only take a few minutes.
  4. Gather Feedback:
    • Pause after each feature to ask for questions and feedback.
    • The Project Manager should take notes on all feedback.
  5. Wrap Up: The Project Manager concludes the meeting by summarizing the feedback and outlining the next steps.

By combining consistent written updates with live demos, we keep the client engaged and ensure there are no surprises.

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