isvelasc
commented
4 years ago What went well last week
Our communication has progressed immensely over the course of the last few weeks. Even if one of our members isn't able to meet up with the whole team, we are always sure to include them in texts and update on further developments.
We have become more concretely aware and specific with our features for BeerMe without allowing ourselves to feature creep.
What didn't go well last week
Understanding the extent and design of our features, and which feature would do exactly what. Because our features rely heavily on recommendations, we had difficulty deciding which recommendations were part of which feature and which features included ratings to improve user experience.
There seemed to be a lot of overlap in the beginning trying to decide which feature would have which properties and why: this was especially true with our Explore and For You features. While both had the merits to include other aspects that were present in the other, each had its own distinct purpose and finding the reason why was what we had difficulty with--which proved doubly difficult because everyone was agreeing with what each feature should do, but we were coming at it from differing angles.
What experiment ( or change) we'll make next week to improve as a team
Meet more often for shorter periods. We met last week, and planned to have another meeting, but in the end we didn't, which seems to be a re-occurring issue. I think this is due in part to the amount of time and effort each meeting takes. Perhaps having a meeting with a pre-requirement for a certain amount of time will allow us to allocate that time instead of an indeterminate amount.
VedantMehta39
marinecossoul
RyanElliott10
What went well last week?
Using a negative as a positive, our group was able to find a new, more productive project idea: a beer rating and recommendation system. While it was initially a struggle to conjure up unique ideas, we ultimately landed on one we were all interested in and, most importantly, is an acceptable project plan.
Furthermore, our group started the week in a bit of a communication slump. However, as the week progressed, we were able to effectively improve our communication and all became more vocal and willing to offer our input.
What didn't go well last week?
The largest challenge we faced was the vetoing of our initial project idea, GroupRatings. While we had initially viewed this idea as an effective way to encourage stronger group participation, it became clear -- with the input of a third party -- that the end product would likely be more harmful than beneficial as our natural tendencies lean toward being far more critical, sometimes even becoming blinded of our own faults, while judging others.
Additionally, our group faced difficulties trying to meet at the same time. Outside conflicts proved to be a large hindrance, meaning some group members were forced to miss meetings. Despite this, we were all still able to meet the deliverables for the week.
What experiment (or change) we'll make next week to improve as a team
This week was jumbled with meetings scattered throughout the week to try to meet everyone's scheduling availabilities. Next week, we plan on setting a specific day, time, and place to meet that will hopefully be carried on throughout the remainder of this project.