In interviews, you'll be asked about how you approach working in projects, and being able to describe how you utilize agile processes is a great way to help you stand out as a junior developer candidate. This reflection is meant to help you develop this skill.
With that in mind, please answer the following questions in your own gist about your group project:
- What have you learned about the use of agile vs. waterfall in software projects?
I think of waterfall as the classic way of developing software, rigid and inflexible. It is not as modern as agile, but still has it's strengths. Waterfall is usefull when testing is infeasible, expensive, or dangerous, such as within big government projects. It also makes teams easy to stagger - when one chunk is finished, it gets passed to the next team, while the first team moves to their next chunk. However, waterfall sometimes means that project phases are quickly outdated or irrelevant to the users, since they never get to give feedback until the end.
Agile on the other hand is very flexible. It has a ll the same steps as waterfall (reqs, deisgn, implementation, q/a, maintenence) but it adds the very important step of soliciting user feedback often, and using that to refocus project goals.
- 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 used github projects, and the comp to guide us to the MVP. We held each other accountable to making sure that the piece we wanted to worked on really aligned with the MVP or the learning goals, sometimes prioritizing learning goals over finer details.
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What role did you take on in the project? I felt that I fit really well into the role of keeping the larger picture in mind, and directing us towards small steps to get us closer to that larger picture. I would take notes, write out next steps at the end of each work session, and refer back to the comp constantly. I handled technical aspects as well, such as event bubblin' on some dynamic elements, basic javascript, and stitching together our objects and arrays.
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What changes would you make to your approach in future team projects? I would enjoy handling more of the CSS and later Javascript aspects
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How does retro function in a team project? Retro allows a team to assess a sprint and celebrate their successes, identify places to grow, and assign next steps to owners.
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In your team retro, how did you engage in the feedback process? What principles of feedback did you use in these conversations?
I engaged with the feedback process when I wanted to celebrate a teammate's success (appreciation), or ask clarifying question. I used coaching feedback when I felt that we could be handling something better.
- 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 have a lot of experience with giving feedback as a teacher to my students, but that is a very different dynamic than teammate to teammate. I still try to approach things the same way: speak honestly, without compromising my truth, and kindly.
I really appreciate this reflection! You've articulated your thoughts and processes very well here -- make sure to hold onto this for future interview prep!