Day two of our #AppInAWeek project has been productive. The sun is out, the lake is (relatively) warm, and we've been able to foster a nice balance of diligent work and play. To reset between coding and brainstorming periods, our team has been canoeing, swimming, playing pool and ping pong; and even partaking in a risky game of football, during which our sales executive Dan would jump from the boathouse roof into the lake - all while attempting to intercept a toss from the mansion hundreds of yards away. We have certainly found many ways to enjoy the beautiful surroundings that our client, Hill City Ventures, has provided us.
But, of course, our day hasn't been without a minor hiccup and some interesting insights. Here are few lessons learned on day 2:
1) SATELLITE INTERNET IS NEVER GOING TO PROVIDE ENOUGH BANDWIDTH FOR A TEAM OF DEVELOPERS
Connectivity issues have, unfortunately, pushed back development by a few hours. And, as our deadline approaches, every moment is precious. We've temporarily solved this problem by tethering phones and data plans, but we need to find more reliable and cost-effective alternatives. Seven engineers and a handful of marketers and business developers can chew up a lot of data in a short period of time. Internet connection is probably the biggest and only downside of coding remotely from the lake.
2) WATER MOCASSINS (PROBABLY) DON'T LIVE IN VIRGINIA'S SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE
Over the past two days on the lake, we've continuously been confronted by a fairly large black snake, who likes to graze our shoreline. Rumors quickly spread that this is not just any snake, but a deadly water moccasin.
That's when the controversy started. We continuously scanned the shore to see if our scaled friend would return so we could get a closer look and capture some footage. Needless to say, our team is now extremely well-versed in native Virginian water snake species and ideal water moccassin habitats. After much speculation and research, we determined that the snake is just a simple water snake - albeit one that is large enough to swallow a 7-inch bass whole. The case is temporarily closed, but some team members still seem hesitant to swim.
3) MAKE SURE YOUR AIR CONDITIONER UNIT APTLY REFLECTS THE SIZE OF YOUR HOUSE, OTHERWISE YOU'RE IN FOR A HOT SUMMER
Facing a faulty air conditioning system, the developers and Hill City Ventures teams have had to find creative ways to avoid overheating in the mansion. Many have migrated down to either the cool basement or shaded areas by the lake.
As day 2 slowly rounds off to a close, our development team is still on-task and we haven't met any process-based hurdles. This is due to effective planning. We strategically split the team into three distinct groups to optimize productivity.
Ryan and Tony are working on the back-end brain of the application; Jon is working on the business developers dashboard; and Brandon, Colin and David are working on the stats dashboard. Everyone understands their responsibilities, which helps maintain a high level of clarity and focus - both key components of efficient software development.