Demo Trust
The Demo Trust is a structured feedback session where project teams present their work to a leadership panel for guidance and course correction. It ensures alignment with broader strategies and validates the value of the project early and often.
Use this method when a project team needs to validate their direction with leadership, ensure alignment with overall strategy, and receive timely feedback to avoid costly rework later in the project lifecycle.
Solves: Misalignment between project execution and strategic goals, leading to wasted effort and rework. Also addresses the need for leadership to scale their guidance across multiple projects effectively.
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Step 1: Prep (30 min): Project team schedules a 1-hour session, sends agenda and background materials (project poster, journey maps, prototypes) to the leadership team.
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Step 2: Set the Stage (5 min): Project team clarifies the project's lifecycle stage, reviews the agenda, and adjusts priorities as needed.
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Step 3: Demo, Discuss, Decide (50 min): Project team demos their work, focusing on the end-to-end journey and value proposition. Leadership team questions, challenges, and provides guidance. The group decides on high-level course corrections.
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Step 4: Take a Confidence Vote (5 min): Each participant rates their confidence in the project (1-4 scale) and briefly explains their rating.
- Ensure the project team presents their best idea, not open-ended questions. Encourage the leadership team to provide specific and actionable feedback.
- Watch for signs of misalignment or duplicated efforts with other teams. Facilitate connections to streamline work.
- Run the Demo Trust more frequently for high-risk or uncertain projects.
- Adjust the composition of the leadership panel based on the project's specific needs.