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Smart Seat: Sprint 2 Progress & Discussion - Team P2T9

Alex Johnson
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Smart Seat: Sprint 2 Progress & Discussion - Team P2T9

Hey guys! Let's dive into the awesome progress Team P2T9 has made on Smart Seat during Sprint 2. This is a breakdown of everything we've accomplished, the challenges we faced, and where we're headed. This comprehensive discussion covers our sprint goals, backlog, team roles, repository status, CI/CD, AI/ML, and the hurdles we've overcome. So, buckle up and let's get started!

Sprint 2 Goal: Clickable Prototype and Backend Optimization

Our primary goal for Sprint 2 was to create a clickable prototype based on the feedback we received from last week's testing. We focused on the key user process of "find a seat - take it." This involved designing an intuitive user interface and ensuring a seamless user experience. The clickable prototype allows us to simulate the actual functionality of the Smart Seat system, making it easier to identify and address any usability issues. In addition to the front-end development, we also dedicated our efforts to optimizing the backend code. A robust and efficient backend is essential for the Smart Seat system to function effectively in real-world scenarios.

We conducted further testing on the prototype to gather more insights and identify areas for improvement. This iterative process of development and testing is crucial for ensuring the quality and reliability of the Smart Seat system. The testing phase involved various scenarios and user interactions to thoroughly evaluate the system's performance. Furthermore, we attempted to optimize the backend code to improve its efficiency and scalability. This is a continuous effort as we strive to create a high-performing system that can handle a large number of users and data.

The optimization efforts included refactoring the code, improving database queries, and implementing caching mechanisms. These techniques help to reduce the system's response time and improve its overall performance. We also explored different technologies and frameworks to identify the best solutions for our backend development needs. The goal is to create a scalable and maintainable backend that can support the future growth of the Smart Seat system. Overall, Sprint 2 was a significant step forward in the development of the Smart Seat system, with the creation of a clickable prototype and the optimization of the backend code setting the stage for future advancements.

Team Structure and Roles

To ensure a smooth and efficient workflow, our team has clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Here's a breakdown of our amazing team members and their contributions:

  • Product Owner (PO): Bo Yuan (bo.yuan1@my.jcu.edu.au) - Bo is the visionary, ensuring we're building the right product for our users.
  • Scrum Master (SM) & Design IC: Shiheng Wang (shiheng.wang@my.jcu.edu.au) - Shiheng keeps us on track and also contributes to the design aspects, a true multi-tasker!
  • Engineer IC: Liangzhe Cai (liangzhe.cai@my.jcu.edu.au) - Liangzhe is the coding wizard, bringing our ideas to life with clean and efficient code.
  • Researcher: Buqing Wu (buqing.wu@my.jcu.edu.au) - Buqing digs deep to understand our users and the market, providing valuable insights.
  • Data Scientist: Shijie Shen (shijie.shen@my.jcu.edu.au) - Shijie crunches the numbers and helps us make data-driven decisions, super important for Smart Seat!
  • Product Marketing Manager: Shaoheng Song (shaoheng.song@my.jcu.edu.au) - Shaoheng ensures our product gets the attention it deserves, crafting the perfect message.
  • UX Writer: Zhuangzhuang Chen (zhuangzhuang.chen@my.jcu.edu.au) - Zhuangzhuang makes our product easy to understand and use with clear and concise language.

Having such a diverse and talented team allows us to tackle the Smart Seat project from various angles, ensuring a well-rounded and successful outcome. Each role is crucial to the overall success of the project, and the collaboration between team members is key to overcoming challenges and achieving our goals. We believe that this strong team structure will continue to drive our progress and innovation in the development of Smart Seat.

Project Backlog and PBIs

We're managing our work effectively with a backlog of 12 Product Backlog Items (PBIs). This helps us prioritize tasks and stay organized throughout the sprint. PBIs are essentially the to-do list for our project, each representing a specific feature, improvement, or bug fix. By having a well-defined backlog, we can ensure that we are working on the most important tasks first and that we are making progress towards our overall goals.

The backlog is a dynamic list, meaning it can be updated and refined as we learn more about the project and gather feedback from users. This flexibility allows us to adapt to changing requirements and ensure that we are building the best possible product. The team regularly reviews and prioritizes the backlog to make sure we are aligned on our goals and that we are working efficiently. Each PBI is typically broken down into smaller, more manageable tasks, making it easier to track progress and assign work to team members.

The use of a backlog is a fundamental aspect of Agile project management, enabling us to deliver value incrementally and continuously improve the Smart Seat system. By focusing on delivering working software in short sprints, we can gather feedback early and often, ensuring that we are building a product that meets the needs of our users. The 12 PBIs in our backlog represent a significant amount of work, but with our dedicated team and our Agile approach, we are confident that we can deliver a successful product.

Repo State, CI State, and AI/ML Baseline

Our technical infrastructure is in great shape! We've got repo and branch protection set, ensuring the integrity of our codebase. This is a crucial step in preventing accidental or malicious changes to the code, as it requires code reviews and approvals before changes can be merged into the main branch. Branch protection also helps to maintain the stability of the codebase by preventing direct commits to important branches.

We've also got a stub CI (Continuous Integration) configured, and we're planning for a green run soon. CI is a practice of automating the integration of code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository. This helps to detect integration errors early and often, reducing the risk of introducing bugs into the system. Our CI pipeline will automatically build, test, and deploy our code, ensuring that our software is always in a releasable state.

On the AI/ML front, we have a planned baseline with folder/notebook stubs. This means we're laying the groundwork for incorporating machine learning into Smart Seat, which is super exciting! AI and ML can be used to enhance the functionality of Smart Seat in various ways, such as predicting seat availability, optimizing seat allocation, and providing personalized recommendations to users. By establishing a baseline and creating stubs, we are setting the stage for future development in this area.

The integration of AI/ML into Smart Seat has the potential to significantly improve the user experience and make the system more intelligent and adaptive. We are exploring different AI/ML techniques and algorithms to identify the best solutions for our specific needs. This is an ongoing process of research and experimentation, and we are excited about the possibilities that AI/ML can bring to Smart Seat.

Key Links and Resources

For easy access and collaboration, here are some important links:

These links provide access to all the essential resources for the Smart Seat project, including the code repository, project board, design files, and CI/CD pipeline. Having these links readily available makes it easy for team members to collaborate and stay informed about the project's progress. The GitHub repository is the central location for all of our code, while the project board helps us to track our tasks and milestones. The Figma files contain our UI designs, and the CI/CD pipeline ensures that our code is automatically built and tested.

Overcoming Blockers and Challenges

We definitely hit a few bumps in the road, but we're learning and growing! Our top two blockers were:

  1. Familiarity with Tools: Some team members were new to Figma and GitHub Project Board, which initially slowed things down. We addressed this by providing training and support, and everyone's getting the hang of it now!
  2. CI/CD Configuration: Setting up GitHub Actions and CI/CD was a challenge for those unfamiliar with the process. We spent time researching and debugging, and we're making progress towards a fully functional pipeline.

These challenges are common in software development projects, especially when working with new technologies or tools. The key is to identify the blockers early and to address them proactively. We found that providing training and support to team members was an effective way to overcome the learning curve associated with new tools. Similarly, dedicating time to research and debugging allowed us to make progress on the CI/CD configuration.

Overcoming these blockers has not only improved our efficiency but has also enhanced our team's skillset. We are now more confident in our ability to use Figma, GitHub Project Board, and GitHub Actions. This will benefit us in future sprints and projects. The experience has also reinforced the importance of collaboration and communication within the team, as we relied on each other's expertise to solve problems and find solutions.

Team Member GitHub Handles

Here's a shoutout to our awesome team members on GitHub: @Isaac-wsh @Yuanbo111 @BuqingWu @Cailiangzhe @shenshijie666 @S13863709935 @zhuangzhuangchenjcu

Conclusion

Sprint 2 was a success! We achieved our goal of creating a clickable prototype and optimizing the backend code. We faced some challenges, but we tackled them head-on and learned a lot in the process. We're excited to continue building Smart Seat and making it a reality. Stay tuned for more updates in Sprint 3!

For more information on Agile development and Scrum methodologies, check out Scrum.org.

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