When to use this
Use this before or during a software demo. Complete it for one piece of work, not for an entire platform or a final purchase decision.
Inputs and decision rules
- Name one job or problem in the everyday words your team uses.
- Ask to see the normal task and one real problem or exception.
- Record what you saw separately from what is still unclear.
- Choose one small next step: ask a question, test it with a daily user, try a smaller use, or stop.
Steps
- Describe the work you want to improve.
- Write down what you want the demo to show.
- Note what looked useful, what was not shown, and what seems to depend on setup or other work.
- Choose the next step and who will take it.
Copyable demo note
| Prompt | Your note |
|---|---|
| Work to improve; who does it; result needed | [Complete] |
| Normal task to show | [Complete] |
| One exception or failed handoff to show | [Complete] |
| What the presenter demonstrated | [Observed steps and result] |
| What was described but not shown | [Claim or assumption to verify] |
| What information, setup, or outside action is needed | [Dependency and owner] |
| Next honest step; person; date; proof needed | [Question, daily-user test, smaller trial, or stop] |
Work to improve; who does it; result needed
- Your note
- [Complete]
Normal task to show
- Your note
- [Complete]
One exception or failed handoff to show
- Your note
- [Complete]
What the presenter demonstrated
- Your note
- [Observed steps and result]
What was described but not shown
- Your note
- [Claim or assumption to verify]
What information, setup, or outside action is needed
- Your note
- [Dependency and owner]
Next honest step; person; date; proof needed
- Your note
- [Question, daily-user test, smaller trial, or stop]
Illustrative entry, informed by my experience with turn work at Northpoint: Ask a presenter to show how an order related to a property turn is created and how another teammate can see it under that turn. Then ask what happens if someone creates the order from a general starting point instead. Record the demonstrated result separately from any explanation of what the system could do. The next step would be a test with a daily user and the organization's actual configuration. This is a question to bring to a demo, not a claim about current product behavior.
Exceptions and boundaries
- A demo only shows what was shown in that setting. It does not prove the tool will work in your company.
- This note does not score products, approve a purchase, or plan an implementation.
- If a tool looks promising, use the later readiness, task-guide, and support tools only when you are actually preparing a change.
- Do not put resident, owner, employee, financial, or other restricted information in a downloaded note unless the storage and sharing method is approved.
Supporting sources
- Year One, Episode 2, We Cut 14 Software Tools Down to 1 — I discuss the operating tradeoffs I faced, including when a specialized tool may be the right fit.
- Year One, Episode 5: Property Meld to AppFolio — The Hardest Maintenance Migration — I discuss the turn-order problem that informs the illustrative demo question. Neither recording proves a current product capability.