The Team Challenge
SuperQrafter Inc. Quote Assistant
We are a startup. We want a quote assistant. The demo is today at 4 p.m. and we want to go live tomorrow morning.
We want to start with a simple version quickly and then iterate fast through more complex versions.
The Vision
The inquiry tool should be integrated into our website.
We want to handle thousands of inquiries with only a few employees.
A response with a price should arrive within 30 minutes, which means manual intervention is essentially not an option.
But we do not yet know which services we will offer tomorrow — we are actively looking for new service models to add soon.
These are the current service models. Combinations are not ruled out:
- Consulting service
- Implementation (prototype in a web application)
- Maintenance service (upgrade CMS to version X)
Arrival and Warm-up
We roll in: by car, by public transport, and one especially fit SuperQrafter even by bike (luckily, after a breakdown, he gets picked up by a qCarpool). On the first evening, the teams for the challenge are formed. Then things get cozy, because tonight someone else is cooking for us. We will have to — well, get to — stand at the stove ourselves soon enough.
Jan, Max, and Moritz are well prepared and, after an optional jogging round and a well-stocked breakfast buffet the next morning, introduce us to the topic: how do you do test-driven development with BDD in a double loop? Brainwork and workshop work are called for; we practice how to solve domain problems with the methods presented, and in record time.
Some enjoy the sunset with a panoramic view around the team house; for the others, it is off to the kitchen, where entirely different SuperQrafter qualities come into play. Fine dining, qStyle: delicious entrecôte tacos with bean cream (the recipe is by Sandro Zinggeler).
Go for Gold
Decision day! Which team manages to build an MVP for the digital quoting of complex services before the day is over? Four teams and a little more than six hours, no pressure! Anyone who has felt more retreat than code so far might feel some random nervousness rising … because the task is to understand the assignment, distribute the skills within the team correctly, build software using Double Loop TDD and BDD, and win over the other teams with a final presentation of the solution.
Please note (because we are a little proud): when time was up, every one of the four teams could present working software. With a presentable service catalog including a quote assistant, a back-office application, and email dispatch, Team Green delivered an MVP we could have gone live with and that convinced everyone the most:
Well done — that is the win, and with it a magnum bottle of the finest cava for this smart performance.
Winning Team Green proves generous. The cava gets shared — there is plenty in the bottle, after all:
And What Remains?
The Code Retreat showed us that we function as a team even under pressure and can rely on our skills. We learned that we can develop an MVP in a short time and that we can find our way even in unfamiliar territory. And we noticed that we can still have fun even in a stressful situation.
PS: A big thank-you goes out to Jan, Max, and Moritz for the excellent preparation of the topics, talks, workshops, and the challenge.
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