- What have you learned about the use of agile vs. waterfall in software projects?
I've worked at an agile-like shop before - I definitely see the benefits of agile, especially in software. Agile allows you to test as you go and pivot when necessary, though waterfall does a better job of freeing up your resources once a project has moved down the line. For software, and it's position in an ever-changing market, agile is generally preferred.
- 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.)?
Our project board ended up being a bit waterfall-like, but we stopped, tested, and refactored at crucial points. This allowed us to stay on schedule -if we had not refactored in Iteration 0 when we were told we needed to, we would have had to refactor after Iteration 1, and I think the sheer amount of code and how it was tied together would have made it impossible - but it would have been even more impossible to move on to Iteration 2 without the refactor.
- What role did you take on in the project?
I took on a leadership/strategizing role for the most part, mostly because I had laid out the agenda.
- What changes would you make to your approach in future team projects?
I would refactor as we went more - it was SO HARD to refactor at the end of Iteration 0 and then again before submitting.
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How does retro function in a team project? We used the L's method - Liked, Learned, Lacked, Longed for. We did it before each check-in, and I found to be beneficial to make sure that everyone's needs were met on the team.
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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? We didn't have a whole lot of feedback to give each other - I think we tried to pay attention to what we all needed by communicating a lot.
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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?
If someone asks for feedback and is clear they're ok taking hard feedback, I will be very honest with them, and try to be as kind and respectful as possible. If they don't explicity ask for it though, I am shy about giving it. Usually I'll frame it as a compliment, and mention if I appreciated something someone did, so I guess appreciation feedback is most comfortable for me.
These are great reflections; I appreciate how you've articulated your process and lessons learned to take into your next group project as well as help you continue to prepare for interviews, nice work!