Capstone Project

The Capstone Project is the largest undertaking you'll experience in the Ada classroom. Not only is it a month long, but you will be your own product owner. It will be up to you to decide (with input from instructors, mentors, and TAs) what gets built when (and how).

Learning Goals

• Demonstrate self-direction, time management, and independent learning
• Learn and implement new technologies
• Complete a product lifecycle from conception to delivery
• Utilize agile practices learned to assist in project completion

What's in This Repo

This repo contains the following things:

Ada's collective wisdom gathered:

• General Advice: a list of advice and wisdom gained over the last several years
• Advice for Brainstorming

Class-specific schedules for important deadlines and PM assignments

• Ampers
• Octos

Required Pre-Capstone Material:

• Capstone Concept Requirements
• Product Plan Requirements
• Picking a tech stack
  • In class, we will do the Tech Stacks Divide & Conquer Activity together

Required Capstone Material:

• Group Accountability
• Final Presentations Requirements

Other information we've compiled:

• What lectures will the instructors give during capstone?
• Recommended Reflection Exercise

Things You Need to Do:

Submit Once:

Refer to your class's schedule for due dates

• Write up a Project Concept Document for each project concept idea you are considering. Submit via an instructor-provided spreadsheet
• For the project concept you are going with, write up a Product Plan as your plan. Submit via an instructor-provided spreadsheet

Weekly:

• Demo your progress to your capstone teams every Friday
  • Your PM may attend these demos
• Schedule and attend a 30 minute one-on-one with your PM

Daily:

• Complete the daily stand up form everyday Monday through Friday before 12pm, and once over the weekend

Final Delivery

The Capstone Project consists of the following components:

• Completed application, live on the web
• The source code of your project on GitHub, with:
  • Clear documentation on how to setup/install your project
  • Any third-party dependencies or configuration required
  • A link to your Trello board
  • A link to your Product Plan
• If your capstone includes a hardware component, you must complete these additional requirements and put them on your GitHub repo:
  • Parts list, with links, for the device(s)
  • A markdown document with step-by-step instructions for assembling, verifying, and integrating the device(s) with your project
• Product Plan: problem statement, user persona(s), market research
• Project Presentation, a demo of the application and pertinent information about your project

Accountability Teams

You'll be assigned to a three or four person team. For the duration of capstone, your team members will serve as your sounding board, rubber ducks, and first-responders for your project. You are expected to be responsive to requests for help from your team (within reason), and to utilize the expertise of your teammates when you need help.

Process Guidelines

• Use your product plan to lead the functionality development of your application
• Create and maintain a Trello board to document progress on your project
• Practice TDD to lead the development process

Technical Guidelines

• Review the information on technology stacks
• Decide on a technology stack that meets the Capstone requirements