Author Archives: Dahwal Charles

“Record What You Learn”

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Share What You Learn”

It is essential to know when to fail. So, we start learning when we fail. In our journey, we experience these expansion failures. This template explains how to speed up the sharing of the knowledge we have gathered and pass it on to people. 

When I read this pattern, we were working as a team, and we agreed. Communication is the key. Communicating our knowledge can make a difference. Always be supportive and help each other. As a team, they are responsible for all tasks. Why are you selfish about what you know? After all, it won’t help anyone, and it won’t help you either. The problem is that you must rely upon others to catch up. And another point is that they may not like or appreciate if you are a trainee and if you can influence your team or individual based on your experience, so knowing I can’t do that. Therefore, the model shows that you or someone else can try to save what you have learned along the way only if you need it for future purposes.

For this pattern, I disagree on the part on whether it may not be appreciated towards others. But the problem is that I do not know why it would be a problem as people can be mature enough to give feedback on the person taking their time to share what may be a discovery for others. They can always have the option to not accept the knowledge and do, however. Should not be hindered from one or more person opinion. 

Believe that it is important to share the knowledge acquired. knowledge is power. Also, teaching this knowledge is a great and powerful collaborative tool that we must learn ourselves. I know as a software developer; I will face these challenges and must make the right choices for the best of the team I work with or for myself to perfect my work ethic. People may not like what others have to say and may not do it the way you expected. But pay more attention to this cause. I practice recording everything I learn and realize that delivery is important, or I can quickly contact someone in a situation like this.

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint Retrospective 3

The third sprint for my software development capstone class was on an honest note a bumpy road. The purpose of the sprint was to start the next level implementation of creating test files using mocha and chai and also making sure the API is validated and can be bundled properly. Through the first part of the sprint, the team has been very productive in keeping up with the issues we made for ourselves. After Spring break, our productivity started to plummet since we did not accomplish issues the following, we did not have our class meetings.

As for my team members and I, we have faced great issues that we started to come across that stumbled all of us. Due to facts of, lack of knowledge, merge requests, and was not able to accomplish all our issues for the sprint. First, when it came to merging requests, I admit we have gotten better at how Git operates. But when it came to approving the request assigned to us. We had a pile of request that was not merged and had to spend our class meetings squashing all of the time to keep the main repository up to date as soon as possible. Secondly, our productivity has plummeted since our spring break, we did not have to work on anything which was completely optional. However, the following week there was no class reunion and I made no effort and treated it like another extension of spring break. Third, as I gained a deeper understanding of the problem, I didn’t know how to deal with some of the issues. The other issues couldn’t be resolved and were interrelated, so we had to address them in the next final sprint.

Our team decided not to undermine our productivity. Especially if the third sprint is the last race in the podium category. We decided and wanted to be more active and help each other in the workspaces when there are things we don’t know or understand. Talk about gathering information on all the advice our professors can give us to put us on the same page.

As for me, I have done good things, but of course, I could have made better improvements and made a better contribution to our team. I wanted to know more about how the Mocha and Chai tests were implemented. However, I have decided to do more key pieces to solve the problem. However, in the next problem, we will use one or more of the problems we created to create a more robust test file that will pass all tests. Talk to team members who have done an extensive research to see if they can help you with modifying and implementing test files that have already been created. At least the experience provided.

Sprint 3 Issues

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Practice, Practice, Practice”

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Be The Worst”

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Kindred Spirits”

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“A Different Road”

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Draw Your Own Map”

Jennifer Gayle once said “You are the author and writer of your own story. Turn the page, start anew, and make sure it is a story worth telling”. In life, we have an open road that we are set upon. Sometimes there are factors that narrows that path. Upon reading Draw your own map, it has explained that we are not to be limited from outside factors. Such as a company with their own set expectations that conflicts on what you are interested in instead therefore, we must be more open to search for more opportunities. That it is alright to make modifications to our own maps to further gain motivation and values. 

I enjoyed the section of the solution for this matter; it piqued my interest where we must take the first step to make a motion forward. Even though it may be terrifying, but we must be willing and determined to walk forward. I also aggreged that we do not have make big goals that are broad but instead make smaller ones that can be achievable. This way we can make further adjustments to our map. It would not hurt to make bigger goals for long term but to break them down into small goals to conquer those bigger goals. There was not any part of the pattern I disliked as I believed this is very useful information. 

Using this pattern towards my life and career will be deeply considered when I go into the software development profession. To always remember that I can find many other opportunities that aligns with my interest of what I am looking for. And if it ever comes to fall out of place from my map that I will branch out my path even further to keep the love and interest I am intended to keep on going. Understanding that after having to trying out a new path and having a new set of values is essential to our mindset. To keep in mind that we ask ourselves is it worth it? Could this step hinder our truest potential? That is why we must keep expanding our choices and chose whichever is best in one’s interest.

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Retrospective 2

The second sprint for my software development capstone class was on an honest note a bumpy road. The purpose of the sprint was to start the next level implementation of creating test files using mocha and chai also making sure the API is validated and can be bundled properly. Through the first part of the sprint the team has been very productive on keeping up with the issues we made for ourselves. After Spring break, our productivity started to plummet since we did not accomplish issues the following, we did not have our class meetings. 

As for my team members and I, we have faced greats issues that we started to come across that stumbled all of us. Due to facts of, lack of knowledge, merge requests, and was not able to accomplish all our issues for the sprint. First, when it came to merge request, I admit we have gotten better on how Git operates. But when it came to approving the request assigned to us. We had a pile of request that was not merged and had to spend our class meetings to squash all of time to keep the main repository up to date as soon as possible. Secondly, our productivity has plummeted since our spring break, we did not have to work on anything which was completely optional. But the following week we did not have any class meetings, we did not put in any effort at all and treated it as another extension of spring break. Third, as we gotten more depth of the issues, we did not have any knowledge on how to tackle certain issues. Because the remaining issues were dependent on each other to complete thus since we could not complete them, we had to tackle them towards our next and final sprint. 

Our team has reached a verdict to not stagger on our productivity. Especially when the third sprint is going to be our final one for the capstone class. We decided and wanted to be more proactive and aiding each other’s workspaces when there is possibly something we don’t know or don’t understand. Talked about gathering information from our professor on any recommendations he may give to us to set us on the same page. 

In regards towards myself, I had made good achievements but of course I as could’ve made better improvements that could’ve better contributed to our team. I wanted to learn more about how to implement Mocha and Chai testing. But I chose to do more of the basic parts of the issues to get them out of the way. But for the next I will be taking at least one or two issues that we made to create a more solid test file for all the tests to pass. I will be speaking to my team member that did extensive research to see if he can aid me in how to go about fixing and implement our test files already made gave at least the experience. 

Sprint 2 Issues

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

“Nurture Your Passion”

Passion is the devotion we invest in of our interest, could be a hobby, sport, or even a profession. Upon reading the book “Apprenticeship Patterns”. There are multiple chapters that are divided up into 35 patterns to give a breakdown of the broad idea of being a craftsman. For example, I have read chapter 3 “Walking the Long Road”, towards the pattern of “Nurture your Passion”. This pattern entails about keeping a strong leveled mentality. Going into our career field as a software developer which the environment would cause an impact on one’s passion. This pattern gives us an idea on how to tackle this situation. 

After understanding the purpose of this pattern, I saw it made sense to find multiple ways to help keep positive during workflow. The section of drawing your map caught my attention because whenever we have a certain goal, dreams, and needs it is separated out from our work goals, dreams, and needs. Two different lives which you try to maintain but eventually it outweighs each other which conflicts you. Personally, speaking we would rather just be selfish and accomplish our own goals and dreams. We are only human. But at the same time, we do not want it to conflict our mindsets when it comes to our profession.

For the type of action, they would want to conduct to keep our passion in check was to write up a list to control a conversation.  It is true you must keep a cool mind and keep your mind positive. But there will be days where things will not work out. For example, what if you had a bad day, the only it will do is put you in a funk for whatever reason It may be. Work related. Personal related. There are many factors you don’t have control like an environment or said workflow. 

I believe that I can take these steps but not all of them. I do agree that you must absolutely make sure the passion is there and do however to protect it because it what makes us motivated to stay concentrated. People are different and should be able to nurture their passion differently. Composing a list can help but nobody would like to compose one before work daily, that can be taxing. Sometimes you must be selfish, such as leaving work while the team are staying late. Just playing it by ear on a daily as it can shift constantly. A road we are set and take the necessary actions. 

From the blog cs@worcester – Dahwal Dev by Dahwal Charles and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.