Pair Project Reflection

Abstract
In a few sentences, explain what the project was and the scope of your work. Imagine explaining your answer to a technical recruiter or a developer who you’d potentially be interviewing with who knows nothing about Turing.

The Pair Project, "Hang In There", asked the development team to create a multi-view application that enabled the user to interact wiht the page. The user was able to view a randomized motivational poster, and to create, display, save, and delete posters. 

What is your approach to working on a team? (In your answer, provide an example from this project)
I played the role of leader and communicator/ delegator. I tend to grasp and articulate material well so that the team can narrow down the specific issue to expedite solution-finding. I like to read the entire rubric and spec, getting a feel for the project expectations as a whole.  

Technical (Choose One)
What resources or strategies did you use when you were presented with a technical challenge?
We used our mentors, MDN, our notes from lectures / lesson plans. We would pseudo-code or code what we knew we needed, and then note what we *thought* we needed, or ask questions for what was missing.

Reflection
What is one personal/professional takeaway from this project?
I want the whole team to understand the material, but I also want to meet deadlines and expectations of the project. I can speak up if I think one or both are not being met. 

What is one technical takeaway from this project?
I want to improve understanding of JS. It's still a little foreign to me, so practice and MDN research is important for me to deepen my comprehension. 

Based on these takeaways, what is something you want to focus on for the next project?
When starting an iteration or even the entire project, make it super clear to the team what the goal is. We tended to overthink or overcode when staying grounded on the goal would have simplified things. 

What have you learned about the use of agile vs. waterfall in software projects?
I learned that while waterfall isn't ideal, it's useful in some scenarios. I look forward to the constant feedback in the smaller iterations vs the feedback at completion of entirety. 

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.)?
We reviewed the iteration goals at the start of project time, and then a few times throughout the day. If one of us started overthinking, we would stop and reread the goal.

What role did you take on in the project?
Planner. I liked the clarity of planning what the day's goal was, what was needed to complete it, and what we didn't know / had questions for.

What changes would you make to your approach in future team projects?
I would have asked more experienced people to review for refactor insights, READMe insights, etc. I would have liked someone more knowledgable than we were to review everything.

How does retro function in a team project?
It allows us to stop, get on the same page, discuss upcoming goals of scheduling/personal info.

In your team retro, how did you engage in the feedback process? What principles of feedback did you use in these conversations?
We phrased things as questions, or were blunt. We communicated well. We weren't afraid to tell one another to stop coding. 

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?
I can be a little too blunt, or tactless, which can then be received as insensitive. I want to add more empathy to my tone.

Group Project Reflection "Intention Timer", due June 3, 2020
Abstract
In a few sentences, explain what the project was and the scope of your work. Imagine explaining your answer to a technical recruiter or a developer who you’d potentially be interviewing with who knows nothing about Turing.

The group project, Intention Timer, asked the development team to create a multi-view application that enabled the user to interact with the page. The user was able to input form data for a timed activity and render/run that timer, and to create, display, and save cards. It demonstrated understanding of data model, DOM manipulation, and DRY/SRP code.

What is your approach to working on a team? (In your answer, provide an example from this project)
I played the role of leader and communicator/ delegator. I tend to grasp and articulate material well so that the team can narrow down the specific issue to expedite solution-finding. I like to read the entire rubric and spec, getting a feel for the project expectations as a whole. I also paid more attention to detail and the larger picture.

Technical (Choose One)
What resources or strategies did you use when you were presented with a technical challenge?
We used our mentors, MDN, our notes from lectures / lesson plans. We would pseudo-code or code what we knew we needed, and then note what we thought we needed, or ask questions for what was missing.

Reflection
What is one personal/professional takeaway from this project?
I need clarity from the start. Start small. Baby steps. I did too many things at once and it caused chaos.

What is one technical takeaway from this project?
I would like to implement clean code from the beginning. We had working code, but it wasn't pretty initially. This could also be improved by wireframing or looking at the project as a whole.

Based on these takeaways, what is something you want to focus on for the next project?
When starting an iteration or even the entire project, make it super clear to the team what the goal is. We tended to overthink or overcode when staying grounded on the goal would have simplified things.

What have you learned about the use of agile vs. waterfall in software projects?
I learned that while waterfall isn't ideal, it's useful in some scenarios. I look forward to the constant feedback in the smaller iterations vs the feedback at completion of entirety.

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.)?
We reviewed the iteration goals at the start of project time, and then a few times throughout the day. We also used two mentors for refactoring feedback. We completed each step in the iteration and checked it for bugs.

What role did you take on in the project?
Planner. I liked the clarity of planning what the day's goal was, what was needed to complete it, and what we didn't know / had questions for.

What changes would you make to your approach in future team projects?
Wireframing and better planning!

How does retro function in a team project?
It allows us to stop, get on the same page, discuss upcoming goals of scheduling/personal info.

In your team retro, how did you engage in the feedback process? What principles of feedback did you use in these conversations?
We phrased things as questions, or were blunt. We communicated well. We weren't afraid to tell one another to stop coding.

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?
I can be a little too blunt, or tactless, which can then be received as insensitive. I want to add more empathy to my tone.

Solo Project Reflection "Slapjack", due June 10, 2020
Abstract
In a few sentences, explain what the project was and the scope of your work. Imagine explaining your answer to a technical recruiter or a developer who you’d potentially be interviewing with who knows nothing about Turing.

The group project, Slapjack, asked the developer to create an interactive application that modeled a card game with various win and lose conditions. The game dealt /started on load, and the user used keyboard controls to display and play the game. It demonstrated my understanding of data model, DOM manipulation, HTML/CSS, and DRY/SRP code.

Technical (Choose One)
What resources or strategies did you use when you were presented with a technical challenge?
I used my lesson plans, mentors, and MDN. I psuedo-coded to troubleshoot issues.

Reflection
What is one personal/professional takeaway from this project?
I was very clear in my progress goals and intentions and it helped tremendously!

What is one technical takeaway from this project?
Same ^^

Based on these takeaways, what is something you want to focus on for the next project?
When starting an iteration or even the entire project, make it super clear to the team what the goal is.

What have you learned about the use of agile vs. waterfall in software projects?
I learned that while waterfall isn't ideal, it's useful in some scenarios. I look forward to the constant feedback in the smaller iterations vs the feedback at completion of entirety.

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.)?
We reviewed the iteration goals at the start of project time, and then a few times throughout the day. We also used two mentors for refactoring feedback. We completed each step in the iteration and checked it for bugs.