Introduction
Hello Everyone, Welcome to the first blog post from Team- ATOM. Our team comprises of four unique atom members with different complimentary skills and we believe the Android application, Activity tracker will be the result of our collective efforts.So lets flag off the blog with our teams persepctive and motivation.
Our team members:
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manish Rama Chandran | Anusha Mathew | Vishnu Mohan | Abhijith Remesh |
| Presentation Management | Principal Lead | End to End Test Design | Content Designer |
We chose to have our team name as “ATOM” because it forms the foundation of matter in this world and is the most minute detail of all physical things existing. Similarly, we need to learn the basics of programming concepts which is the basic aim of this course “Introduction to Software engineering for Engineers”. From the android application perspective, the ATOM application binds together all the activities that the user performs so that it becomes a perfect activity tracker for the user which in turns increases the Customer Satisfaction Index.
Upon careful observation of our team logo, each letter of our team’s name is visible in an illusionary manner. “A” stands for Adaptability, adhering to the changing requirements, “T “stands for Team work, “O “stands for Observant to the adhering quality and code standards as per customer requirements and generic protocols and “M “stands for Managerial skills. It’s not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us.
What Motivated Us?
As a team, our aim is to gain hands on experience in developing an android application by successfully completing the project and understand the real world requirements. We chose “Activity Monitoring” as the project because it is something which totally benefits ourselves in tracking our daily academic activity.
When it comes to Manish, he always aspired to develop an android application so that he can explore and garner as much knowledge in this field. This project fortunately has given him an opportunity to achieve his passion. So for him, this experience will mainly enhance his programming skills. Hence, down the line, he expects himself to be a good team player and simultaneously, he forsee to improve his management skills too.
For Abhijith, this project helps to improvise his coding and design skills. He will be indulging in blog which will be very challenging apart from his desire to learn new stuffs.
For Anusha too, she would like to strengthen her coding skills and take up challenges which she believes will make her more adaptive to varying environments.
When it comes to me, I would like to enhance my leadership and program solving skills and actively take part in all design activities. I believe this project be a helpful platform for me.
Interdisciplinary Skills
Each atom compounds to become a molecule which can do a particular and specific task ie, Two or more atoms of different skill set combines to form a molecule which collectively performs a specific task thereby achieving the goal. This is what happens in our team “ATOM”. As the name implies, it is a team of four with each person having a unique skill set : ATOM 1 (Anusha Mathew) uses her analytical ability and problem solving skills, ATOM 2 (Manish Rama Chandran) brings in his managerial and leadership skills, ATOM 3 (Abhijith Remesh) uses his creativity and script writing skills and ATOM 4(Vishnu Mohan) provides high Intelligent Quotient, Emotional Quotient, and optimistic environment which binds all the atoms together to complete the project with collective and optimal effort. The team believes in the quotes” The most unparalleled word in this world is deed” and “Every expert was once a beginner” “The journey of a thousand miles begin with one step and to make one step, we first have to DO IT!!!And to Do It, We need the Will to Act and Do” We can’t simply work as a programmer, rather a level above in the minds of the customer. Our fear and laziness outweighed our Will. We have learnt to bury our laziness with Will, and then confront it to face the challenges. Even if we think with the same frequency and wavelength, our thoughts conflicts with each other which obviously generates different opinions. This would help us in refining the solutions for any problems that we may encounter in later stages.
Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities are equally divided among the team members. Anusha is the principal lead, who manages the team and uses her exceptional problem-solving skills. Manish is responsible for all presentation designs and internal team meetings whereas Abhijith is responsible for the design of blog content and oversee that the team is on track with respect to the deadlines. Vishnu is responsible for the end to end/phase level testing of the application code and keeps track of the minutes of all meetings. Even though each member is assigned a specific role, we ensure that everyone works in sync during the development phase and assist each other for the timely completion of the android application.
Communication
The progress of the project including merging and updating the work is tracked using GitHub whereas Zen Hub is used for overall project management. Besides, we make use of WhatsApp, Telegram, Hangouts and G Mail for the internal discussions.
Flexibility
We work using the V formation algorithm where one person takes the lead and instructor position for a while. The lead position switches and rotates in a timely cyclic manner to spread the work pressure equally among the team members. This method becomes efficient when one is equipped with other priority issues, wherein he or she can delegate the lead position among the members for efficient progress. Eventually, this method will improve the managerial and leadership skills of each person.
Another way to improve internal flexibility is by planning, scheduling and prioritizing the activities according to the severity. This can be achieved using agile methodology for internal meetings, Kanban board for progress tracking and milestone accomplishment. The Kanban board will be updated weekly so that the tasks and schedules can be moulded in accordance with the varying requirements of the customer. Moreover, the same will be shared with the customer so that he/she will be aware of the current status of the project. Eventually, the customer can make suggestions if necessary and would lead to good customer satisfaction index.
Another way to improve team foundation is by creating a comfortable space for each person and share healthy criticism so that one can understand another’s perspective. We firmly believe that the secret to success lies within us and need to embrace the energy within us to form an optimistic environment. We plan to strengthen the team bonding by conducting frequent internal team meetings and hang-outs so that the word “TEAM” realises into “ACTION” rather than a mere word.
That’s all for the month of April. We will be back next month with a new post which will brief the” Requirements and Specifications” of the customer.
References of the Images used in the blog
- Blog Images : http://www.startvoice.com/pbx
- Blog Images : https://richardbloomfield.blog/2017/07/my-own-personal-kanban-board/
- Blog Images : https://www.amazon.com/Communication-Skills-Developing-Leadership-Intelligence/dp/1523998679
- Blog Images : https://buscadeimoveis.com.br/
- Blog Images : http://www.articlization.com/life/page:6
- Blog Images : http://blog.readytomanage.com/what-is-a-good-problem-solving-assessment/
- Blog Images : https://daily.jstor.org/geese-fly-v-formations/