Situation report, Sprint 12

Here's the latest roundup of progress on the project, and our first big post of 2016. It's also going to be one of my last, as I will be leaving SCVO soon to pursue new challenges elsewhere. The project is in great shape and we are all set to launch our public beta in a couple of weeks, so the best is yet to come!

Sprint 11

Done (technical):

• Added new feature for users to post short content items to their own page
• Improved URL structure to better match our underlying data structure and APIs
• Assorted code optimisations and refactoring
• Added ability to link Good HQ user pages to vacancy information from Goodmoves
• Overhauled the graph visualisation tool to improve performance and stability

Done (non-technical):

• New splash page with better product information and call to action
• Clearer highlighting of search terms on results page
• Improve search page layout and filtering controls

Sprint 12

Done (technical):

• Implemented a much more robust and usable image picker
• Improved the underlying data structure to enable faster data visualisations
• Rationalised and decomissioned some old development databases
• Added alt tags for all images on the site
• Added additional counts and metrics to the administration view

Done (non-technical):

• Added product images to splash page
• Added FAQs based on early user feedback
• Improved navigation controls for mobile users
• Added a new "organiser / participant" switch for user profiles
• Added an option to immediately hide feedback on your own page
• More early adopter information sessions

Next:

There is going to be some unavoidable hiatus over the next few weeks, as I depart and new people join the team to help take things to the next level. In the meantime Alex and Lucy will be holding the fort, and using the time to consolidate work to date and think about the future. On the to-do list, then:

• Deliver product tweaks on the basis of user feedback
• Prepare for beta release at The Gathering on 17/18 February
• Strengthen the team by recruiting for a new community manager role
• Review and consolidate our hosting, storage and compute infrastruture
• Pay back technical debt!
• Undertake R&D work for longer-term features