When the project started I honestly didn't know what to expect. My major concern at the very beginning was the actual type of our project - when I saw we got the php driven website, I wasn't too happy. In the semester before that, I failed the subject that introduces php (hahaha) so my concerns were valid. Team members were another concern - I only knew Steve from before so I wasn't sure what to expect from the others. If only I knew....
The project
Regardless of how much we complained about our client and the project itself, this turned out to be an enjoyable project to work on. Jon (the client) is definitely a strange guy, but once you learn how to deal with him (which I must say, I mastered in the end), he's not too bad ;). We managed to finish most of the stuff he put as his requirements and the ones we were unable to do, we offered alternative which he accepted in the end.
What have I learned?
I think this project taught me more then I ever imagined! When I look back now, I realise how many things I've improved as a direct result of being involved in the project. From technical skills such as php (non-intentionally, I became a project coder) and mySql, to interpersonal skills like client and team interaction. Maybe I was lucky to be involved in the project that had everything that you want to be tested on - difficult client, lazy team members(hehe), short timeline, etc. Combine that with other subjects and assignments and my lack of php coding skills and you get one heck of a ride! But as I said earlier - it was priceless! I feel much better prepared for real world after being exposed to so many different situations throughout the project.
Team members
I mentioned earlier that I never knew what I was getting myself into when teaming with these guys. I have one big weakness - I always want things to be perfect and if I can't achieve that 'perfection' I tend to look for alternatives. This also happens with other people's work - I expect it to be as close to 'perfection' as possible and this wasn't the case with some of the guys in the group. In the first semester, I corrected things myself but I learned my lesson in the second semester - I pushed them a lot harder and it worked really well. I'll try to give you a quick overview of other team members...
Steve
Great guy, socially and professionally. He coded probably around 60% of the project and did a really good job. He always asked for more work when he had none and everything he did was really good. He's a kind of guy I would love to work with on any project! Grade - HD
Jason
Jason improved a lot in the second semester! His work rate increased dramatically and he was much more aware of what was going on in the second semester. He couldn't do any coding but he always had helpful logic and served as an extra pair of eyes (and brain). Grade - D
Paul
He also improved in this semester. He attended more meetings and tried to help with whatever he could. I'm a bit surprised that he lack basic IT knowledge seeing that he studies IT. He helped with documentation and did a solid job. Grade - C
Craig
Well, what to say about Craig...he was definitely the biggest disappointment in this project! When someone doesn't have certain skills to do something but has the right attitude, you tend to put up with it. But Craig did not have any of those! He missed most of our meetings - he saw client only twice for a whole year! He simply failed to show any interest in how things were going; he would not contact any of us for more then a week and when he did, it's like nothing happened! As I said, my main problem with him was his complete lack of interest in the project - I can freely say that he was a typical 'free rider'! Grade - very very tough one! As much as I don't want anyone to fail, he brought this on himself! Maybe Pass but if you guys are feeling very generous....
Final words
So it comes to an end...it's been a very interesting ride and I enjoyed it very much! Dave, you've been fantastic - thank you very much for your advice and help throughout the year! Special thanks goes to Janet who gave us precious advice with php on more then one occasion....now off to couple of months of rest and then IBM here I come!!!!!
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