Welcome to the first entry of many in the Mathiné Development Saga!
Upon arriving for our first day, expectations were vague, and emotions were everywhere. We didn’t know what we were doing, who we were working with, or what our work days were going to look like. The only thing we knew was the name of our project, and even that had changed! (from Neurovation to Mathine) Nonetheless, if there was one thing that everyone was feeling, it was excitement to be a part of the Inspire program.
While the first few days were filled with uncertainty and a fear of stepping on toes, once we started talking about our hopes and fears as a team, we were able to see each other for our motivations and realized that there was no room for tiptoeing around; we had to dive in headfirst! By leaning on one another’s strengths and fostering open communication, we developed a collaborative dynamic where enthusiasm and curiosity drove our work. This sense of teamwork soon became one of the defining features of our process.
In just the first couple of weeks, we’ve learned so much from each other and gained technical proficiency by setting up development environments across Windows, Mac, and Linux, while also leveraging Docker for consistent containerization. Just as importantly, we have come to understand one another’s strengths and weaknesses, learned how to navigate challenges together, and established a group culture that is both productive and supportive.
Our work has included identifying and fixing original issues and bugs, as well as mapping out essential features that will make Mathiné more pleasant to use. For example, we added a feature that allows you to import and export data from other calendar services. We clarified our focus by identifying a target audience for feedback, ensuring our work remained relevant and user-oriented. By recognizing our diverse skill sets early on and settling into roles accordingly, we kept the project progressing efficiently.
In just two short weeks, we’ve been able to set up an effective Agile framework and have our whole team working on issues, creating pull requests, and reviewing each other’s code before merging. Through this process, we’ve learned patience, persistence, and the importance of trusting one another’s contributions.
Our greatest success so far has been adapting to our group dynamic. Differing opinions naturally arose, but we worked through them by applying the empathic engineering principles we’ve learned from our mentors. Each member has contributed unique strengths, and together we’ve built a team environment that is both encouraging and effective. Our ability to adapt, collaborate, and support one another has been central to our success so far and will remain a strength as the project continues to develop.
Mathiné Team