Category Archives: CS-448

Sprint Retrospective

Sprint 1 Retrospective

Introduction

  • In the first sprint we were mostly focused on learning the ropes of gitlab and getting familiarized with the sprint structure.
  • This sprint lasted for 5 stand ups which is equivalent to 2 and ½ weeks. This ended up feeling a bit cramped considering the amount of learning that was necessary for this process.

Links to Activity on GitLab

Reflections on the Sprint

What Worked Well?
  • In this sprint I found that communication as a group was key to our success. Any problems that we faced were made much easier when we tackled them as a group instead of alone. I think that our review process was good and we just need to make sure we keep logs of these reviews in the appropriate discord channel.
What Didn’t Work Well?
  • I think that the main thing that we struggled with was learning how to use this new environment and process. I think that this caused lots of issued especially with multiple people working in the same projects and all being confused about what to do, This lead to issues with people creating branches in the wrong issues as well as people accidentally doing issues for other teams. I personally struggled with making sure the right merge request was linked to the issue and will try to improve this for the next sprint.

Given the detailed account of your Sprint 1 Retrospective, let’s complete the remaining sections with reflective insights and forward-looking statements based on your experiences and observations.

Improvements for Team Performance

The team’s ability to communicate and tackle problems collectively was a strong point during this sprint. However, the transition to using new tools and processes highlighted several areas for improvement. To enhance our team performance in future sprints, we propose the following changes:

  1. Enhanced Onboarding for New Tools: Given the difficulties encountered with GitLab and related tools, a focused session or resource compilation on these tools at the sprint’s start could mitigate confusion. This could include tutorial links, common troubleshooting tips, and a Q&A session.
  2. Clarification of Roles and Tasks: To prevent overlap and confusion, especially in a multi-person project environment, clearly defining roles and tasks at the sprint planning meeting could ensure smoother operation. This might involve assigning specific issues to individuals or small groups and establishing clear ownership of tasks.
  3. Streamlined Communication Channels: While communication was strong, ensuring that all discussions, especially those related to problem-solving and decision-making, are logged in an accessible and organized manner (e.g., categorized Discord channels or a dedicated project management tool) would help maintain clarity and continuity.

Personal Improvements

Reflecting on my personal challenges during this sprint, specifically around managing merge requests correctly, I see valuable opportunities for growth:

  1. GitLab Proficiency: I will dedicate time to deepen my understanding of GitLab’s workflow, focusing on branch management, merge requests, and issue linking. Online resources, tutorials, and peer assistance will be valuable in this learning process.
  2. Proactive Communication: To prevent and swiftly address any uncertainties or errors in my work, I commit to being more proactive in seeking feedback and clarifications from team members and mentors.

Organizational Skills: I will improve my organizational skills, particularly in tracking my tasks and their related merge requests and issues. Using project management tools or personal task trackers could help ensure that I am always aligned with the team’s objectives and timelines.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Abe's Programming Blog by Abraham Passmore and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint #1 Retrospective

Achievements & Challenges

Reflecting on what worked well, one aspect was our organization. From the start, we established a strong foundation with clear and well-defined issues, allowing us to hit the ground running. The team demonstrated a balance between offering assistance and providing constructive feedback on each other’s work, creating a collaborative and supportive environment.

However, GitLab presented a learning curve that took us a bit longer to fully grasp and navigate. This resulted in occasional roadblocks, such as instances where work had already been done or where components were missing, requiring further elaboration. Recognizing these challenges is the first step toward overcoming them in future sprints. Another issue we faced and have already solved was our Sprint planning meeting, creating a more team-balanced approach. Originally, we had only one member creating issues as we talked about them. However, we realized this was not the best approach. For Sprint 2, we had each member create issues that we originally defined as a team. Then, we gave each member a chance to talk about their issues, how they plan to work on them, and if any improvements/clarifications would be needed.

On the team improvement front, our collective strength shone, especially when tackling potential ideas for more challenging tasks ahead. Moving forward, we aim to enhance our coordination by implementing more frequent check-ins. This approach will ensure that no team member is too far ahead, behind, or engaged in incorrect work, establishing a system of checks and balances within the team dynamic. Another improvement that will benefit the team as these issues begin to become longer and more challenging is more team-based work. After reviewing other teams’ work in the first sprint, I noticed multiple issues where more than one team member was working on an issue. This step will allow more time and a second pair of eyes on an issue, improving our productivity and furthering our ability to tackle an issue simultaneously.

Individually, I’ve identified areas for improvement that will contribute to both personal and team success. Managing time more effectively is a key focus, acknowledging that optimizing productivity requires a strategic approach to time mangement. Additionally, recognizing the importance of communication, especially on off days, will be crucial in maintaining a good workflow. The goal is to avoid getting too ahead of myself and attempting to tackle everything simultaneously. This includes refraining from taking on multiple issues beyond what is required, ensuring a more measured and sustainable workflow.

GitLab Work

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/documentation/-/issues/10

Description: In my individual assessment above, I recognized a mistake in attempting to tackle more than necessary. While working on issue #1, I unintentionally delved into other topics. In an effort to make the branch more user-friendly, I decided to combine these three separate issues into a single, comprehensive one. This new issue provides clear documentation for each step involved.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/documentation/-/issues/10

Description: This issue involved a straightforward review of the existing documentation. The focus was on ensuring the pipeline’s smooth operation by confirming the correct properties. Additionally, unnecessary extensions and linters were eliminated to simplify and optimize the documentation.

From the blog CS@Worcester – CS: Start to Finish by mrjfatal and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Sprint-1 Retrospective

 I didn’t manage to achieve a whole lot in my 1st sprint, I mostly looked at the guest frontend and poked around Thea’s pantry. I’m going to make sure next sprint I actively work on the issues my team has in the backlog. 

The only change I made to the pantry was a branch in guestinfofrontend named add-linters that I was planning on adding the Alexjs linter to. Unfortunately I never got around to actually adding it, and it seems that the other teams have already handled the adding of linters to the project.

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/guestinfofrontend/-/tree/add-linters?ref_type=heads

Next sprint I plan on focusing on the inventory frontend and actually making and commiting changes. I do not want to let my team members do all the work.

From the blog CS@Worcester Alejandro Professional Blog by amontesdeoca and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.