Category Archives: Sprint-1

Sprint 1 Retrospective Blog

As the first sprint EVER, it went very well, and it provided significant learning opportunities.

Our team exhibited strong collaboration throughout this initial phase. Effective communication was a cornerstone of our approach, enabling us to schedule both online and face-to-face meetings efficiently. A testament to our collaborative spirit was achieving our target of completing more than 75% of the tasks by the sprint’s end. This success largely stemmed from our commitment to weekly in-person meetings, fostering a united team environment crucial for addressing new challenges and workflows.

Despite these positive aspects, our journey was not devoid of hurdles. We encountered several setbacks, primarily due to our collective inexperience with GitLab and its workflow processes. Initially, we struggled with navigation, issue postings, and branch creations, leading to confusion and delays. Our approach to merge requests and the subsequent review process also proved problematic, culminating in merge conflicts and pipeline failures due to our wait-until-the-end strategy.

In light of these challenges, we aim to refine our approach in the upcoming sprint. We plan to create a “Workflow tips” document, compiling our experiences and solutions from this sprint to circumvent similar obstacles in the future. We intend to adopt a more proactive review process for issues and streamline our approach to merge requests, ensuring they align with workflow requirements.

Reflecting on the obstacles I encountered this sprint, there are several areas for personal improvement:

Enhancing GitLab Skills: I recognize the importance of becoming more proficient with GitLab. I intend to invest effort into understanding its intricacies, especially concerning branch management, handling merge requests, and connecting issues. I plan to utilize online resources, seek guidance from tutorials, and lean on my peers for support to enhance my competency.

Strengthening Communication: Acknowledging the need for improvement, I aim to enhance my approach to communication. I will take initiative to seek out feedback more actively and clarify doubts promptly with team members and mentors, aiming to resolve issues before they escalate.

Boosting Organizational Capabilities: I understand that better organization is key to avoiding past mistakes. Therefore, I am committed to honing my organizational skills, particularly in keeping track of my tasks, associated merge requests, and issues. Employing project management tools or maintaining a personal task tracker will be instrumental in keeping me in sync with the team’s goals and deadlines.

Links to the issues covered in this sprint:

Create Integration and Pipeline

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/integration/-/issues/1

Settings and extensions previously located in the dev container should now be transferred to .vscode/settings.json and .vscode/extensions.json within the Gitpod environment, as outlined in the .gitpod.yml documentation. Furthermore, developer commands should be moved from the commands directory to bin to align with standard Linux conventions, necessitating updates in script paths and .gitlab-ci.yaml environment variables. Additionally, integrate the AlexJS linter into each project’s pipeline and the bin/lint.sh script, ensuring all documentation is checked and updated accordingly.

Familiarize ourselves with guestInfoFrontend to understand what goes into CheckoutGuestFrontend

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/inventorysystem/checkoutguestfrontend/-/issues/37

This activity served as an introduction to the primary objectives of sprint 2. During this phase, we collectively reviewed the current wireframe for the checkout guest front end to familiarize ourselves with the anticipated design layout.

Refactor commands folder to bin

https://gitlab.com/LibreFoodPantry/client-solutions/theas-pantry/guestinfosystem/gitlab-profile/-/issues/69

This process entailed establishing a bin directory within the project and transferring three scripts from the template project into this new folder. Following this, I conducted tests on each of the three scripts to verify their functionality.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Kadriu's Blog by Arber Kadriu and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

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

 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.