Monday, January 18, 2010

Week 2: Software Engineering Lecture & A Taste of FB Programming


Week 2 Lecture was on Software Engineering. However, it wasn't a normal CS type of lecture. We had a short not-so-technical lecture from Prof Ben, followed by sharing from former CS3216 students.

The thing that struck me most during the lecture is that, in a software development team, everyone, including non-programmers such as marketing personal, has a crucial role to play.

And clear communication among the team members are of paramount important for the success of the project.

Another important thing that I noted was to "keep looking at the clock". It means that we have to be aware of and be realistic about how much work we can accomplish in the given time limit.

As facebook assignment has already started, I try to keep above points in mind as I struggle through the assignment together with my teammates. We are trying our best and are hoping that our team would be a success.

3 comments:

  1. it wasn't a normal CS type of lecture. We had a short not-so-technical lecture

    Do you think the not-so-technical lecture was useful or do you think a technical lecture would be better?

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  2. Each type has it's own benefit and purpose. For CS3216, I guess not-so-technical type is more suited since not everyone will be interested in technical things. The lecture was useful. It pointed out and focused on a few very important points that every team should follow. But all the sharings are from project heads or project managers. It will also be good to have someone sharing from a programmer's perspective.

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  3. It will also be good to have someone sharing from a programmer's perspective.

    A programmer's role is pretty simple. Get instructions/specs, negotiate deadlines, and deliver.

    I think I've also already highlighted the importance of learning how to realistically estimate how long a task will take and communicating this with the leader and/or rest of the team.

    Again, this is OBVIOUS, but I bet you that the majority of the programmer students haven't quite figured this out. :-)

    Hopefully, all of you (programmers and non-programmers) will learn something useful and practical in CS3216 by doing the assignments and Final Project. :-P

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