According to one semester's effort in developing our software, I understand the process to develop a software in our real life, such as how a software life cycle runs in external companies and how to make product efficiently. In addition, I also understand how important the soft skills are to enhance our communication during the process. Especially, at the final software demo stage, effective communication helps us to demonstrate the functions and features of the software in a clear and concise manner.
In this post, I will describe the points I learn from the project development and software demo preparatoin, and how those points might help me to manage my future projects better. The learning points I summarized are stated as below:
- Expect the version 1.0 to be difficult. Version 1.0 software is all about dreaming! We need to create something that has never been created before. From setting goals for the team to trying to achieve them, we have several iterations of brainstorming and changing plans. Unfortunately, we also need to manage the project to meet the deadline at the same time. Even if we lay out the best plans, we cannot control the independent variables. The problem is that while all these methodologies are great, there is simply no way to give a date to when software will be ready. Thus, I'm ready to expect the difficulty to create a software in the next project and expect changes for whatever reasons that could be.
- Make to do list in a developer style. Along the way of developing the software, I realized it's necessary to list all the actions need to be done in a to do list and update it every week. However, the list usually is very huge if I list everything in one list and make me feel stress. In the future projects, as a developer, I should rank my work in different priority levels and then execute those actions in a systematic way without bringing more pressure to myself.
- Get organized in advance. Before the final demo, we have weeks to prepare for these six minutes. In order to make a high quality demo, I need to practice a lot of things which include not only performing the script itself but also managing how to switch between actual software and PowerPoint slides smoothly. As what Benjamin Franklin said," By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail." Thus, preparation for work is also important for whatever I undertake to do.
- End with an exclamation point. Based on the experience of the previous two oral presentations, I understand it's important to start a presentation on a high and also maintain the end on a high. The conclusion of a presentation is just like a great dessert at the end of a great meal. The entire presentation can hinge on the final impression I make which will take audience back to the key messages and bring our presentation full circle to the ultimate objective. After three rounds of presentations in this semester, I will be more confident in future presentations.
In conclusion, this is my first trial to create a product from design, proposal, implementation till the final demo. Although what I have done leaves much to be desired, it's a good starting point for me to apply what I have learnt in practice.
Bibliography
Kawasaki, G. (2006). How to be a demo god. California.
Miguelcarrasco. (2007). How To Kill Your To Do List, Developer Style! Retrieved 3 23, 2012, from Real World Software Development: http://www.realsoftwaredevelopment.com/how-to-kill-your-to-do-list-developer-style/
