TPT project is a GDC internal project and it is using for tracking the skill set of all GDC colleagues. From my perspective, I think it should be a useful tool and it can improve the daily job of resource team performance a lot. But actually, this project is not a successful case. This project seems work well now, but I don’t think the result can match the original purpose. TPT development purpose should be same as the list at below,
- Develop an application system to improve the Resource team daily job.
- Practice some technical skill and methodology of what can’t apply to the real project or never use before.
- Improve all team members’ cooperation.
- Check all interns’ skills.
- Make a good example for the future project.
But there are many reasons cause the project ‘failed’,
- Team structure is not reasonable. The initial of this project, the team structure is a senior developer leading several interns. Due to the experiences limitation of interns, the project doesn’t have the appropriate architecture and design, and also they don’t have the experience about how to make the product (includes code, project information, project knowledge and etc) to be easily transfer to the next team.
- The attitude of all team members is another major reason of which directly caused the project failed. Usually, the team member doesn’t pay attention to this kind of the internal project, because that’s not a formal project. But that’s not an easy project, because team members could be changed frequently and it also has many complex business role.
- Many technical debts remaining after the project development. Doesn’t have frequent code refactoring.
- Doesn’t apply agile methodology correctly. If this project uses Scrum or other agile methodology correctly, it can quickly response the requirement changing and frequently do the team retrospective for team improvement.
Finally, I think we should do the retrospective at end of this project and learn more from this practice.
