🎬 Is a Demo the same as a Release?

Some development teams have a weekly demo where they might show what they are working on to others in the company or the customer, which is a great idea as it encourages hitting milestones and early feedback. However, is the "demo" just another name for an "internal release?"

The "release" and "demo" mindsets have some differences. For a demo, quality or automation may not be a priority. Engineers may record a video or present the demo. Again, all of these are great ideas and should be done, but they are not a release.

The key thing about a release is that someone else, other than the developers, uses it. And the developers are confident enough to let other people use it. This difference seems small on the surface, but is huge underneath. A release comes with an expectation that drives automation and quality. The demo can become a crutch that allows teams to avoid the hard work of delivering something others can use. The mindset matters.

Again, the first internal release need not be feature complete and polished, but whatever slice of functionality the team delivers should be usable by others without a lot of props and hand-holding. Beware of proxies for delivering real value: demos, closing tickets, milestones, etc. While these are all useful tools, they are not an end in themselves. Measure value, not proxies.