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.gov’s 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.
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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 night’s 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 didn’t – 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 • Unknown’s • 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 Who’s 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