It is interesting to see how a group of guys came together not by choice but through random selection and somehow approach one of the final few milestones without much hiccups. And this milestone is preparation for the software demo.
The team faced a few problems during this preparation and I would like to highlight the two major problems we faced. The first major problem was each of us have a different perspective of how the software demo should be conducted and could not come to an agreement with one another. And the second problem was the dedication of roles for the software demo.
Different Perspectives
This was probably the biggest problem the group faced during the preparation. The crux of the problem was getting everyone to agree with an idea, and be comfortable with it.
Even though we came from different culture, tradition and social upbringings, I do believe this problem would still persist even if all of us were to come from the same parents. This is so because each one of us thinks differently and each one of us has our own opinion.
There are no fix solutions to overcome this problem, but there was one very 'logical' solution which the team applied. That solution was having each one of us to compromise, not to stay hell bent on our own ideas and putting ourselves in each other's shoes. And through this the team adopts the best idea and integrate it into our demo. Each one of us listens to each other's ideas and opinions as a result each one of us developed a greater understanding with one another.
Dedication of roles
The other major problem we faced was actually deciding who is going to do what during the software demo. One of the main causes to the problem was actually being in such a diverse team, each one of us have different strengths in the area of presentation. Therefore the selection process became a headache, to choose who is going to do the main aspects of the demo and who is going to close and facilitate the QnA session. One solution the team came up with was taking into consideration the strengths and weakness of each individual in the aspect of presentation skills. And after taking this into consideration, the team then decided who is going to do which portion of the software demo. With this every member's contribution was justified.
The only reason why this solution worked was because everyone in the team was being honest with themselves regarding their capabilities in the area of presentation . As we recognize our own strengths and weakness, we did not feel that injustice was served as to why we are not given a particular role. Our team recognizes that each one of us have different roles to play to benefit the team, after all this is a team project.
The only reason why this solution worked was because everyone in the team was being honest with themselves regarding their capabilities in the area of presentation . As we recognize our own strengths and weakness, we did not feel that injustice was served as to why we are not given a particular role. Our team recognizes that each one of us have different roles to play to benefit the team, after all this is a team project.
Challenges
Conducting a live software demo for the first time was a challenge to the team. As none of us have any experience in doing a live software demo in front of an audience before, this becomes a daunting challenge. How are we suppose to react? How are we going present? How to interact with the audience? How to handle technical issues when problems occur? Are just some of the few questions that were brought up during our team discussions. Our team look in awe at how some software demos are being conducted by professionals, one example was a software demo conducted by the late Steve Jobs. One solution the team used to overcome this challenge was to look at how professionals conduct a software demo. As we learn from those people, we started to be familiar with the presentation style that was required and felt comfortable and confident with this genre of presentation.
One other possible solution the team took on to help us overcome our challenge was to constantly prepare and practice as a team for the demo. On top of this, the team had a qualified evaluator Ms Janet to come and evaluate at one of our demo rehearsals. By doing this, Ms Janet will be able to point out the strong points of our software demo so that we can work on them and make it even stronger. Besides pointing out the good points, she will be highlighting the bad points of the software demo as well so that we can improve on it. We recognized the benefits of having a qualified evaluator such as Ms Janet to come and evaluate our software demo.
Conducting a live software demo for the first time was a challenge to the team. As none of us have any experience in doing a live software demo in front of an audience before, this becomes a daunting challenge. How are we suppose to react? How are we going present? How to interact with the audience? How to handle technical issues when problems occur? Are just some of the few questions that were brought up during our team discussions. Our team look in awe at how some software demos are being conducted by professionals, one example was a software demo conducted by the late Steve Jobs. One solution the team used to overcome this challenge was to look at how professionals conduct a software demo. As we learn from those people, we started to be familiar with the presentation style that was required and felt comfortable and confident with this genre of presentation.
One other possible solution the team took on to help us overcome our challenge was to constantly prepare and practice as a team for the demo. On top of this, the team had a qualified evaluator Ms Janet to come and evaluate at one of our demo rehearsals. By doing this, Ms Janet will be able to point out the strong points of our software demo so that we can work on them and make it even stronger. Besides pointing out the good points, she will be highlighting the bad points of the software demo as well so that we can improve on it. We recognized the benefits of having a qualified evaluator such as Ms Janet to come and evaluate our software demo.
Conclusion
Overall the team has come a long way now, as we head to the final third of the project, all these challenges faced by the us would only strengthen us for our future endeavours. Learning how to overcome such problems now and how to avoid the same problems in the future are valuable lessons each of us took home.
Shawn Teo Chee Yong
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ReplyDeleteIt is true that we have grown to judge ourselves, as individuals and as a team, to near perfection. That is the reason we realize why each of us need to play different roles in order to ensure success for the team. You had mentioned probable challenges that we may face during the presentation. I guess common sense would suffice for most of them. Backup plans are definitely required especially for technical issues. We had discussed about these in detail and I feel we are all set for the presentation. I am quite sure we will ace the presentation!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you very much that the live software demo itself is a big challenge. I do not have any experience in live demo. As a result, I did very badly in the mock demo. I feel difficult to switch frequently between operating the computer and talking, especially when this switching may happen every few seconds.
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to get comfortable with this by talking for a little longer time before I type on the computer. I have to say this is really a hard work to balance talking and typing, but I believe we can do it well finally.
Actually, I do not think the first two problems bothered us a lot. They did bring some troubles, but we solved them perfectly. I must say we are a good team even though problems are always there. Nothing is perfect in the world, is it? I believe we can do a great job!