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Green Field Project

posted Apr 9, 2015, 3:50 PM by Unknown user   [ updated Apr 9, 2015, 3:55 PM ]

Although we didn't have to write a summary of what we learned during this week, I decided to do so since I missed the first week assignment:

Lessons learned from watching Videos:

    This week, the videos discussed a lot about what you can do as a programmer to improve your performance, as an individual and as a team. Every team starts with a problem and works to solve it. In the Agile Practices videos, it was displayed how we can implement different methods (or practices) to increase team productivity by working together and increasing our ability to communicate and thus come to solve the problem at hand. All of the practices demonstrated are something that teams should use to improve the skill of the team as a whole and as individuals. As interns, we need to know these practices because they are used by every team, and it is good to start implementing these practices early on and get accustomed to them. This also ties into the video about “how do we heal medicine?” We are constantly trying to improve as an individual and as a team. When something goes wrong, instead of putting the blame on someone else, you should try to see where you (as a team or as an individual) failed. From there, you create a solution, and then, hopefully, when the problem is encountered again, it can easily be fixed (or avoided).
    Another good point that I noted from the videos (and one article) was about being on time. Tardiness is not an uncommon thing. It isn't something that only happens in the work place, but all through your life. We're late for school, work and social events. Being late is something that has become apart of our daily lives. In the article, it explains how we can avoid being late, and I agree with every suggestion, but its not always easy for people to do such things. We have to make being on time a habit rather than force the idea. This ties into the talk about optimism, and how many people believe that bad things wont happen to them, but to the next guy. I tied this to being late in this way: we never intend to be late, but we end up being late. Those who are consistently late (and in denial about it) are always the ones to say, “Yeah I can meet you for lunch at noon,” and show up 30 minutes late. They'll deny their lateness and make an excuse rather than take responsibility for it. This also ties into the point about “anticipation makes us happy.” I'm not sure the anticipation of writing a few paragraphs about what you learned on a Friday is the type of anticipation that makes anyone happy, but we do it and it sometimes causes more stress than joy. But those who rush to meet the deadline to send in their paper will make light of it throughout the week and say that they will have it done on time “this time” and are still rushing to beat the clock on Friday night (this, of course, isn't me). Optimism makes us happy, and even if its unrealistic, it keeps us hopeful. Hopeful behavior can be risky, but nothing is ever achieved unless a risk was taken.

Lessons Learned in Class:

    In class this week, we reviewed previous concepts such as the five principles of class design (SOLID) . We went over inheritance, discussed the good and bad parts of it, and compared its use again composition. Usually, if you have doubts about a class with inheritance, you should use composition. If you have no doubts, then use inheritance. In the end, we did a complete review of the concepts we used the past two weeks about Object Oriented Programming, and then worked on “real life problems” which was to design a a chat server. We worked as a group to come up with back end components, classes and methods. We then went over the hardest (or most interesting) problems to solve. It was something I enjoyed doing because sometimes I do not always understand how to do things, and by having us work as a group and answer questions about problems we need solved helps me see other peoples views of how to solve a problem.