Understand the goal of creating a capstone project
Explain the key components of a meaningful project
Generate an idea for a project that meets the provided criteria
Describe story mapping, epics, and user stories.
Create user stories that clearly identify the targeted user and describe a single use-case or action
To hit the ground running in class one we need to cover a lot of ground! We need to:
Set up a GitHub repository so we can upload our assignments
Understand what makes a good capstone project
Learn about user stories.
We want to handle as much setup and logistical work as possible now so the remaining weeks of the class we can focus on making progress on our projects!
Before class, complete these modules:
We will spend time in class talking about project ideas in small groups. Come to class with 1-2 ideas for projects you might want to work on.
Tip
If you are struggling to come up with ideas check out our Demo Projects, as well as project demo videos made by previous students
In class today, we will have a lecture and discussion on how to ideate and build a project. Most people struggle to build projects, especially their first project. In this class, we are going to learn some concepts that aren’t necessarily programming skills, but should help manage the building of your project.
Before lecture today, please take a few minutes to think about how you would build a project. What steps would need to take to build a project?
Each class will have you check in with your group. Since we don’t have much work to talk about yet, let’s take some time to get to know each other.
Circle up and go around the group starting with the group’s mentor. Introduce yourself, state what you want to get out of this class, and finally state at least one idea you have for a project for this class.
In a brief lecture, let’s talk about some of the key ways companies plan and organize their work while working on technical products. Then, let’s see an example of how to use these tools!
Watch the instructor take the example idea and write some user stories.
If you didn’t come to an agreement with your mentor about which project you will be working on, now is the time to do so! If you need a few extra minutes to decide on a project, let your mentor know and you can talk it out together. Remember that this is just the first project of many projects to come! If you’ve got a killer idea that might be slightly out of the scope of this class you can always put it on hold until after this class ends.
After choosing a project and having it confirmed by your mentor, write some user stories for your idea. Consider what you need to do as the developer. What does the end user need? What other users might there be for this application?
You must have your mentor approve at least one of your user stories to count towards your attendance today!
The instructor should have a few additional user stories for the example Attendance application idea and will show you what they have to do to complete the user story!
Before class 2, complete and turn in Assignment: Project Outline.