With a waterfall approach, you complete one task at a time and do not begin the next task until the first is complete. An agile approach is more dynamic. You work on smaller sprints, test those, update requirements, refactor etc. and test again. The agile approach is much more dynamic and allows you to change the project as you go. In contrast, waterfall is slower moving and the end result is more set in stone.
How did you and your group approach project management in this project (what tools did you use, how did you hold each other accountable, etc.)?
Greg and I relied a lot on our Trello board and splitting up tasks on there. We communicated mainly through slack about how we were progressing. We also did several slack calls on the remote days to work through some of the tougher sections together.
I think out of the two of us, I am definitely the main communicator. I tried to keep us organized and convey exactly what I was working on, what my progress was, and what I wanted to do next.
I wish we had set some stricter communication goals from the outset. Particularly on the remote days and over the weekend, I felt like communication was not always a two-way street which ultimately slowed us down.
Group retros can help you assess how your team is working together and how the project is coming along. Its a good place to suggest changes or implement new approaches.
In your team retro, how did you engage in the feedback process? What principles of feedback did you use in these conversations?
I don't think our retros were as productive as they could have been. We didn't give each other a ton of constructive feedback. We only gave positive feedback. In the future, I think it would ultimately be more helpful to have a mixture of the two.
How would you describe your ability to communicate feedback? How has this experience affected your communication skills? How do you want to improve in your ability to communicate feedback?
Giving feedback is something I still feel uncomfortable doing. It is hard for me to imply anything negative about someone's working style to their face. I worry about hurt feelings! I would like to practice giving feedback in a way that is both kind and constructive in the future.