In our second sprint, the team made important progress on a variety of tasks related to the reporting backend, integration, and documentation. The specific work items we addressed included updating npm packages, improving documentation in the reporting backend, setting up Gitpod permissions, implementing hot-reload functionality with Nodemon, composing Docker files, verifying the testing suite, configuring linters and the pipeline, and fixing a build script. Overall, I feel our team had better communication and a more fair approach to splitting the work this sprint.
Reflection on What Worked Well
One of the key strengths of this sprint was the increased level of communication within the team. We made a better effort to stay in sync, share updates regularly, and support each other when needed. This led to a more collaborative and efficient workflow, as we were able to identify blockers early and provide assistance to unblock each other’s progress. I’d say that a fair distribution of work was also a positive aspect, as we made a combined effort to split the tasks more evenly and ensure that everyone had a manageable workload. This allowed us to make steady progress throughout the sprint, rather than having a last-minute crunch.
Reflection on What Didn’t Work Well
While we did see improvements in our progress flow compared to the previous sprint, there were still periods where a significant amount of work was left until the final week. It gave a bit of pressure and gave an increase in the risk of missing deadlines or compromising on quality. Additionally, the team decided not to go forward the Kubernetes with Docker Compose YAML approach, as we don’t currently have Kubernetes set up. Instead, we focused on consolidating all the API Docker files into a single root deployment. The linter and extension setup was also split across multiple issues, which could have been better organized.
Reflection on Changes to Improve as a Team
Moving forward, we should aim to distribute the work more evenly across the entire sprint duration to maintain a more consistent flow of progress. This may involve better planning and task estimation at the start of the sprint, as well as more frequent check-ins and adjustments throughout. Additionally, we should continue to keep our commit messages as clear as possible, especially for merge commits, to ensure the project history remains easy to follow.
Reflection on Changes to Improve as an Individual
As an individual, I could have been more proactive in checking in with my teammates and offering assistance, even if it’s not directly related to my assigned tasks. I want to make sure I’m staying aware of the overall progress and roadblocks faced by the team, and I can provide support where needed. Additionally, I will learn and do what it takes to be better to complete my individual tasks as early as possible to avoid last-minute stress and make sure we meet our sprint goals.
Work and Work Products
One of the key work products I contributed to this sprint was the update to the npm packages in the reporting backend, as well as the improvements to the documentation for recent changes. I also collaborated with Issac on writing documentation for the reporting backend and composing the Docker files. While I was involved in the initial stages of configuring the linters and pipeline in the reporting integration, Victor and Hieu took the lead on those tasks as they were more closely related to their other assigned issues.
To speak upon the work and work products we are producing, we faced an issue with the guest info frontend not working due to a local host problem, and we worked to set up a solution where the application can check if it’s running in Gitpod and query the URL accordingly. We also identified the need to have a more stronger approach to setting up environment variables, rather than hardcoding them.
Overall, this sprint saw improvements in team communication and task distribution, but there is still room for us to refine our process and ensure a more consistent flow of progress. As we move forward, I am committed to playing an active role in supporting my teammates, completing my work efficiently, and contributing to the improvement of our team goals.
April 9, 2024
A Day in the Life as a CS Blogger 