One of the mantras of the UK’s Government Digital Service—the organisation that led the modernisation of the UK’s digital services during the 2010s—is “Show the Thing”.
There’s always a temptation to “tell”—through words, documents, or slides—but what really matters is what the end user sees, touches, and interacts with. The reminder to “Show the Thing” is a plea to team members to share the actual product, even if it’s in a work-in-progress state.
It helps build empathy with customers, identifies issues earlier and faster, and moves teams faster towards concrete, shippable products.