Hackathons: Embracing Collaboration to Achieve Results
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A hackathon is defined as an event in which computer programmers and others involved in software development collaborate intensively on software projects. Hackathons are also about bringing people together for a common cause or goal. Join Raj Polikepati, Director of Application Development, as he discusses Texas.govs first hackathon. In addition to producing viable solutions, the hackathon: enhanced core technical and soft skills, identified key success factors, modeled a lean delivery approach, and generated team pride. This presentation will showcase exactly how Texas.gov hosted our hackathon, what the outcomes and lessons learned were, and how we benefited from the experience.
Hackathons: Embracing Collaboration to Achieve Results
- 1. Presented by: Raj Polikepati Director of Application Development Texas.gov Hackathons: Embracing Collaboration to Achieve Results September 17, 2013
- 4. What is a Hackathon?
- 7. Started with technical brown bags 5 years ago Progressed to all hands on deck workshop 2 years ago Used approach for prototyping and proof-of- concept for new possibilities Recently held 1st 24-hour Hackathon through grass-root interest Evolution at
- 9. Good nights sleep Large room with whiteboards, sunlight, bright lights, hydration supplies, and lots of food Laptops/notebooks with access to existing SDLC toolset Guaranteed support structure (operations) for day-to-day production support Logistics
- 10. Product Owner Scrum Master Team Stakeholder Epics User stories Velocity Release Plan Sprint review Retrospective Sprint planning Agile Terms & Roles
- 11. 9:00 am start time; offsite conference room ~20 people web services, user experience, BI, and server-side web developers All-hands standup to discuss goals Input from team on execution approach chose Agile Scrum Hackathon Itinerary
- 12. Build a mobile app that use bar code scanning technology to renew service Build a tool to help Finance team with monthly close Things under control: renewal service, payment service, technologies, financial knowledge Unknowns: Scanning technology Initial Standup
- 13. 4 Scrum teams to handle: Bar code scanning work (biggest unknown) Creating/utilizing web services needed Web design & development activities for app Financial tool for monthly close Team Formations
- 14. Release planning 4 sprints, 4 hours each Sprint planning Select features from product backlog Finalized acceptance criteria Sprint standups Discuss progress across teams Sprint review & retrospective Teams demonstrated functionality Discussed new findings & solutions What worked, what didnt Improvements for next sprint Food breaks Hackathon Day Ceremonies
- 16. Beware of preconceived ideas Quick screen flow charts Technical integration touch points Known assets and known problems Unknowns Tactics for known and unknowns Time-boxed Creation of multiple focus groups White-boarding and Collaboration
- 17. Clubbing experiences Watchful eyes Real-time peer review Real-time quality assurance Enhanced usability Improved focus on current task Pair Programming
- 18. Contract definitions WSDL Interfaces / Helper classes WADL (Web Application Description Language XML) Mock implementations Environmental changes Integration
- 19. Create a script through collaboration Key differentiators Prioritized benefits and opportunities Possible alternatives and add-ons Listed process improvements for daily use Projector and lighting First impression Show and Tell
- 20. Texas.gov Hackathon in Action
- 21. Reusable services Reusable assets (e.g. view templates & themes) Scaffolding Ruby on Rails Groovy on Grails ASP.NET Dynamic Data Scaffolding Spring MVC Scaffolding Mobile first technology Mock capabilities Contract interfaces Technologies for Success
- 22. License procurement for scanning software Bullet-proofing Security scanning Show & tell for overall team Coordination with partner for production release plan Celebrate!!! Follow-up Activities
- 23. Team building Employee satisfaction Learn execution experience Solve problems Prototype for new opportunities Reduce investment risks with proof-of-concept Improve culture by demonstrating a can do attitude backed by results Hackathon Benefits
- 24. New project execution plans Emergency handling Sustained annual planning And more . A New Tool in Your Toolbox
- 25. Red Raiders Look Whos Hacking
- 26. Host 3 hackathons every year Team-up with state partners and constituents Two day hackathons Budgetary considerations Idea backlog Future Plans
- 27. Fosters blue-sky thinking Entire organization can participate Teaches effective decision making Can deliver results in astonishingly short timeframes All about the team environment & empowerment Executive Viewpoint
- 28. For more information about Texas.gov enterprise solutions, contact: Ed Emmett eemmett@egov.com 512-501-5983 For more information about Hackathons, contact: Raj Polikepati rpolikepati@egov.com 512-651-9801