Category: Week 12 – What Next?

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What’s Next?

Week 12 brings us to the end of the first module, GAM710. I know this is oxymoronic, but it really has been a long 12 weeks that have passed in the blink of an eye. GAM710 has been very challenging (partly due to the breadth of study, and partly due to setting the bar high for myself), but I have enjoyed it and learned a lot. Some of the SMART goals that I set along the way have already been achieved, while others are still a work in progress. Some I intend to have completed before the next module begins, but I have intentionally included some longer term goals and aspirations that will continue to progress throughout the rest of my MA studies, and beyond. These include:

Flutter Development

I am now in a position to begin building a functional prototype for my “Quick Cook Challenge” app. I am confident that I made the right choice of development strategy and I’m looking forward to investing more time in honing my skills in this area to move along the learning curve in pursuit of mastery. Now that the intense period of reflection has come to an end, I can take a lesson from Adriel Wallick in her video talk “Game a Week: How to Succeed, Fail and Learn”. I need to put in the development hours to make the progress that I’m looking for.

I set a SMART goal to investigate prototyping tools for designing screen mock-ups, but now that I have had the opportunity to gain some familiarity with Flutter, I have concluded that best strategy here is to use rough pencil and paper sketches and then jump straight into Flutter, rather than involve an intermediary tool for high fidelity images.

I do intend to spend some time learning more about source control before the next module commences, but I’m now not overly concerned about reaching any particular level of expertise. As long as I can get a handle on the basic elements, I can learn on the go, on an as and when required basis.

Agile

Agile is a new concept for me, but I feel that, during this module, I have grasped a solid theoretical understanding of the general mechanics involved. I am looking forward to immersing myself in a situation to experience the practical application of the project management methodologies.

Through some trial and error, I feel that I now have a better handle on the effective use of a Trello board to organise my work schedule, and I intend to take a more disciplined approach to sprint planning and review, going forward.

Commerce

New practices, tools and techniques have emerged since I first set out on my corporate career path, and while I have some level of familiarity with them, this module has persuaded me to delve deeper into the likes of Lean Startup Methodologies, Business Model Canvas and Strategic Digital Marketing over the duration of the remainder of my MA studies, so that I can embrace them for the benefit of my intended startup venture.

Emerging Technologies

Data science – big data, machine learning and predictive analytics hold particular interest for me. I have a lot of data analysis experience and enjoy unleashing the power that good data holds. I am aware that these are huge areas of study, but I intend to take my analytical talents to the next level by exploring these areas in more detail, with the purpose of creatively integrating these technologies into the app product that I eventually build for my intended startup venture. This will dramatically improve the value offered by my business model.

I am looking forward to getting stuck in to some practical development work in GAM730, and it will be great to gain some practical experience of working on a collaborative project managed with Agile principles and techniques. But, before that happens, I’m really looking forward to enjoying some downtime to overcome the ‘extreme reflection fatigue’ that I’m currently battling!

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Source Control

My experience with Github  is minimal.  I’ve used it intuitively, and tentatively, but my ignorance has delivered more problems than benefits. I am now pushing projects to Github directly from Android Studio, but I’m still yet to fully understand or apply the range of available features.  Whilst my shortcomings with the facility hasn’t been too much of an obstacle to the quality of my work to date, I anticipate growth in its importance as the complexity of my code progresses.

By 3rd June, I intend to be comfortable with the terminology, and have at least a basic understanding of how to use Github through Android Studio.

The benefits of being fully conversant with Github  will rise correlatively as the complexity of my projects develops.  Particularly so when working collaboratively.  As well as providing access-from-anywhere backup, Github facilitates tracking changes across versions, managing collaborative development projects, and seeking coding assistance from the Flutter community within Github. These benefits will all contribute to my progress as an efficient and effective App Developer.

I will start by familiarising myself with the terminology (push, pull, commit, fork, clone, merge etc.) to better understand the range of possibilities. I’ll use online tutorial resources to learn and integrate source control into my development process, starting with 2 Udacity courses, and then reassess my needs.

Primarily a solo project, I will seek assistance from the study group if/when necessary.

Specific

I will be able to explain each term in the Github glossary and apply the main features through Android Studio

Measurable

I will consider each of the 29 terms achieved when I can explain it in my own words and practically apply the concept, where appropriate.

Achievable

Time is my constraint, so I’ll use my Trello board (8) to incorporate a commitment to understanding 7-8 glossary terms per sprint.

Relevant

Proficiency with source control will be increasingly beneficial, if not essential, for upcoming modules, and beyond.

Time-Bound

This will be achieved by 3rd June.  I will ring fence 4 hours per week, over the next 4 sprints to achieve this.

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