Sprint Demonstrations serve as crucial checkpoints in Agile IT project delivery because they enable teams to showcase their work to stakeholders, gather feedback, and ensure alignment with project objectives.
A sprint demonstration refers to a presentation or showcase conducted by the development team at the end of each sprint cycle. During the demonstration, the team presents the completed features, functionalities, or user stories that were developed and implemented during the sprint. The primary purpose of the sprint demonstration is to provide stakeholders, including clients, product owners, and other relevant parties, with a tangible demonstration of the work accomplished during the sprint.
Sprint Demonstrations follow the Sprint Delivery step. You can refer to my previous blogs on Agile which talk about:
- Step 1 – Project initiation
- Step 2 – Backlog prioritisation
- Step 3 – Product increment planning
- Step 4 – Sprint planning
- Step 5 – Sprint delivery
- Step 6 – Sprint demonstration
- Role of Scrum Master
- Role of Product Owner
Sprint demonstrations are overseen by the product owner, who plays a pivotal role in prioritising features, providing feedback, and ensuring that the demonstrated work aligns with the overall vision and goals of the project.
Below are the key activities that form part of the Sprint Demonstration. Note that it is important to tailor your approach and activities to the needs of the project:
- Feature Showcase: The development team presents the completed features, functionalities, or user stories that were developed during the sprint, demonstrating how they meet the requirements and contribute to the project’s goals.
- Interactive Demo: Stakeholders are given the opportunity to interact with the demonstrated features, providing feedback, asking questions, and gaining a better understanding of the implemented functionality.
- Feedback Gathering: Stakeholders, including the product owner, clients, and other relevant parties, provide feedback on the demonstrated work, highlighting any areas of improvement, additional requirements, or concerns they may have.
- Alignment Check: The demonstration serves as a checkpoint to ensure that the delivered work aligns with the project’s objectives and stakeholder expectations, facilitating adjustments and refinements as needed to stay on track with the project’s goals.
At a major government agency in Australia, I was a change management practitioner working across 8 Scrum Teams who were deploying workable IT solutions every sprint, with a Sprint Demonstration at the end of each sprint. The most crucial activity I observed in this phase was the feature showcase. The Product Owner (who plays a key role in being the voice of the customer) and development team would explain to all stakeholders the user experience and the features and user stories delivered during the sprint. This allowed stakeholders to gain a comprehensive understanding of the progress made, provide valuable feedback, and ensure alignment with project objectives and user needs, fostering a collaborative and iterative approach to product development.
Providing a Sprint Demonstration promotes transparency, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement throughout the Agile development process, ultimately leading to improved product quality, increased customer satisfaction, and faster time-to-market.
Agile Framework
In the below agile framework, I am sharing a visual one-page diagram on how to implement Agile on a large scale. This framework is based on the process that was implemented at a large Federal Government Agency in Australia (who employ over 20,000 staff). I worked with more than 10 highly mature Scrum Teams at this Federal Agency who have been successfully delivering projects under large scale SAFe Agile methodology for more than 10 years. Please reach out to me at kirtan.jamnadas@aclivity.com.au if you would like to receive this document in PowerPoint format which can be updated.
About the Author
Kirtan Jamnadas is a management consultant with over seven years of experience successfully delivering complex IT projects at four large federal government agencies in Australia.
Kirtan is passionate about initiating and driving projects forward while ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and on board with the project’s goals.
With his employer’s support, Kirtan established the company’s project management practice – this included developing all the frameworks, tools and templates to ensure projects are set up for success.
Kirtan’s mission is to provide current and aspiring project managers with simple and practical tools to help streamline operations, optimise performance and achieve project success.
