One of my favorite techniques for building trust and demonstrating intent when starting out with a new client is to build them the first version of their application in two weeks.
No it doesn’t have every bell and whistle, and it definitely wouldn’t when any design awards, but putting that first version of working software in their hands after a single iteration can do wonders for you project.
What this does for your team
For your team it sends a message. We are going to move fast.
No time to sit around and naval gaze. The first version of our shippable product needs to be ready two weeks from now.
- That means coding.
- Testing.
- Analysis.
- Design.
- Feedback.
It’s all got to be there for this one thin slice of functionality (usually their most important user story).
That means we are going to have to travel light and drop anything that doesn’t add value.
And if we are going to be adding new features confidently as we go (without paying an exorbitant amount) we are going to need to some practices and discipline around how we change our software.
- Continuously integration.
- Automated builds.
- Automated unit testing.
- Regular feedback.
- Aggressive refactoring.
- Rhythm and ritual.
It’s all got to be there.
This is good because you want your team used to the idea of regularly making changes to a production ready system.
That’s how agile (XP in particular) likes to view systems under development. They are meant to be kept in a state of continuous production readiness. We are simply adding new features every week (starting with the first version after two week).
What this does for your customer
Most customers are blown away when you tell them you are going to delivery the first working version in two weeks.
It gets their attention.
It shows an intent, and fierceness around delivery sorely lacking in our industry.
Regularly producing shippable software changes the game and relationship with your customer. It shows them the importance of their role and highlights the fact they are first class citizens and needed for a successful project.
What this does for you
While I can’t promise you’ll lose weight or it will improve your sex life, I can tell you delivering fiercely will raise your profile and get you noticed where ever you choose to work.
People are going to want to know how you got business to the table.
They are going to want to know how you built a system for them which is exactly what they wanted.
They are going to want to know how you made going live a non-event.
And they are going to want to you do it again, and again, and again.
Look, I get that there may be thousand reasons why may not be practical to deliver your first working version in two weeks.
If this is the case, then think of it more as an attitude.
But you’ll never know unless you take that first step.
Like Henry Ford said: ““Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”
The Agile Warrior 
Aug 25, 2010 @ 12:43:46
A little tougher to do on the usual B2B integration projects involving external parties versus standalone app, where you might require a 3rd party WSDL, SSL certificates and external network admins (ie external dependencies) to poke a hole in their firewall but I like to get something like an end to end request/response between each company’s internal systems as soon as possible.
Aug 25, 2010 @ 13:54:13
@Will – I hear you.
Infrastructure can be a killer. At some companies poking a hole in a fire wall takes more than two weeks (much less a thin slice of the app).
Fierce delivery is more about intent than anything else. If you need to:
> build rapport with business
> show them you are serious about solving their problems
> and convince them that they need to be a part of the process
building a working slice of the app made up of just one simple (yet important) feature of something they’ve wanted to do for years, can go miles in building good will and trust.
And then once you get that momentum can build.
But you are correct. You’ve got to manage expectations. Make it clear that the first version actually may not go completely end-to-end through the all the firewalls and back in. But you can show them what it would look like if it did (while you get the ball rolling on the other stuff).
Thanks for the comment.
> showing business we are serious about solving their problems
>