At Lofty, our mission is to deliver value to our customers. We do this by building software that brings domain knowledge to life, empowering experts and their colleagues to create industry-changing solutions.

While incrementally delivering the right software solutions is our ultimate measure of value, we strive to proactively and consistently display that value throughout the entire product journey. Here's how we do it.

Demos

Product demos are a powerful way to convey value, solicit feedback, and ensure alignment.

Typically, demos are reserved for feature roll-out or displaying the work completed at the end of a sprint. In addition to a product demo during sprint review, demos can and should happen any time there are valuable updates to provide.

One way to share product updates is to record a demo video. A video enables you to determine your distribution audience, allows for async consumption, and, depending on the tool, enables engagement measurement in the form of views.

Additionally, sharing a demo video before a meeting (in person or virtual) means that attendees can jump directly into feedback and decision-making.

Live demos are always a great option as well. Whether you choose to record a demo or prefer to present in person, remember the following:

• Tell the story - demo from the user's perspective, bring the human element
• Rehearse - hit your talking points, ensure your demo environment is set up and stable
• Be succinct - stay on script, keep the audience focus
• Smile - they can hear your smile, have fun

Changelogs

A Changelog is a public document that communicates client-facing feature roll-outs and updates. It is a clear, transferrable document demonstrating the value delivered to clients. It can be shared, quickly referenced, and visually represent a project's feature milestones.

Additionally, a Changelog should be supplemental to existing project features and roll-out communication (Demos, Planning, Sprint Reviews, etc.).

A simple Changelog template

1. Feature Available Date

1. Optionally, include a "Coming soon" section for in-progress or prioritized feature work

1. Main Feature(s)* Title

1. Brief Description
2. Image, video, or Gif of a feature
3. Any links to activation or support documentation

1. Improvements & Fixes (toggle list)

1. Include relevant UX improvements, bug fixes

*not every sprint delivers client-facing features, not all features require a Main Feature section, and all users may have access to certain features - use discretion in creating Changelog items

Relationships

Trust is the core of healthy relationships. A healthy relationship fuels value creation throughout the project lifecycle.

We build trust with customers by being available and listening - ensuring they know we're here for them and are invested in their success. Additionally, we consistently communicate (good and bad), making every effort to be clear and concise and using the appropriate communication method (Slack, email, ad-hoc virtual meetings, etc.). We take ownership, raise our hands and say, "I got it," and then, most importantly, follow through.

In some scenarios, the final delivered product accomplishes the initial vision and solves all problems.

But sometimes, the finished product looks slightly or even very different than original expectations. If so, it's because stakeholders were aligned along the way and made informed decisions to address emerging opportunities. In those cases, there's a compelling story documented about the journey in the form of demos, Changelogs, and consistent communication.

In either case, the value was delivered and demonstrated along the way.

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