Visa Buddy Application: Personal Reflection on Development Process

This report provides a detailed personal reflection on the development of the Visa Buddy application, highlighting the practical application of agile SCRUM methodology and project management principles. The author, a student developer, discusses the group dynamics, including the forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning stages, and emphasizes the importance of user requirements and effective communication in software development. The report covers the iterative development process, including user interface design, testing, and evaluation phases. The author reflects on personal growth, including improved planning, organizational, and leadership skills, and the ability to manage conflicts and risks. Lessons learned include the continuous nature of software improvement and the importance of adapting to project challenges. The report concludes with a strong emphasis on the value of continuous learning in project management and software development.

PERSONAL REFLECTION: DEVELOPMENT OF THE VISA BUDDY
APPLICATION

The development of the app was a personal journey of self actualization and discovery; studying
application development and project management methods in class made me eager to be involved in
an actual development. Applying the agile SCRUM methodology, I was able to gain a first hand
practical experience on exactly what needs to be done, the steps followed, and why it is a good
approach to application and software development (Alexander, 2018; Landau, 2019). Knowing
something theoretically is a just the first step, its application and getting the desired results, I came
to learn, is the most challenging aspect. In developing the application, I worked in a group of three
and I was a developer and also doubled up doing the documentation for the project. I came to
realize that groups follow specific steps; at first I couldn't understand why everyone appeared edgy,
each person trying to push through their agenda. After reviewing the group forming process, I
realized that most groups undergo a series of definitive steps, starting with forming, storming,
norming, followed by performing, and finally, adjourning (Abudi, 2010). Despite earlier
disagreements and my fear that the group would not gel and cooperate to meet the project objective,
we eventually managed to bond together and got going.
I came to realize that getting the user requirements was the most important step in ensuring the
success of a software/ application development process as this (Rivero Esqueda, 2018; Eid, 2015).
As such, the team took a lot of time to fully understand the development process and create the
requisite user stories. I realized that while scrum agile is a good process for developing software
projects, its effectiveness still entail having some aspects of the traditional project management
process, including having an initiation, planning, execution, and closure phase. Following this
process using scrum agile enabled the team to successfully complete the project. I have also learned
the real value of scrum agile; it ensures the process is able to move forward because not all issues
can be resolved when they arise (Miller, 2013). I also realized its value in ensuring the final product
has very few errors and problems because of its iterative development nature. Playing the role of
designing the interface and also being part of the development team, I came to understand the real
value of human computer interface principles in designing an application or software. In the end, it
is where we realized there were problems and areas that required making changes and
improvements.
What I had not expected was conflicts among team members that in some cases threatened to
disrupt our development time table and execution of the project. I imagined that past the norming
stage, things would flow smoothly; however, we had several disagreements on the best user
interface, the color scheme to be used, the user work flow diagrams and how to make the
application simple to use yet effective. At one point I even felt like leaving the group; however,
upon reflection and reviewing project management principles, I came to the realization that
conflicts in projects are inevitable (Kerzner, 2014). This gave me some relief; knowing that

conflicts is like a car running low on gas, it does not mean it can no longer run, but one just needs to
refuel. As such, I proposed we all take a day off development and resolve any sticking issues, a
proposal that the other members accepted. In so doing, now that I think about it, I provided
leadership when the situation demanded it, even though I was not the team leader. Coming to think
of it, leadership is not about position but having the characteristics and skill to help a team move
forward, whichever one’s role is. I again realized that we had some issues with the effectiveness of
our communication; I for one assumed a lot of things and realized it was contributing to conflict. As
such, the value of effective communication in team activities and executing projects has been
reinforced in my conscience.
The testing and user evaluation phase returned interesting outcomes, including dissatisfaction by
users on the user interface, the color scheme, having more payment options, increasing the number
of action and navigation buttons, and incorporating an interactive system between the system
interface and the users. We established this after conducting a survey with users and having them
report their findings as well as state their experiences. I learned that while the development team
can do development iteratively, the performance of the system and ability to meet user needs
depends on the experiences of the users. I also learned that having a bigger testing group and getting
their feedback can help greatly in developing excellent software. Despite our best efforts, there were
still areas that required improvement in the application and from this I have learned that perfecting
software applications is a continuous process rather than a single standalone activity. At a personal
level, I have greatly improved my understanding of the agile scrum methodology, the general
processes involved in developing a software application, and why using project management
methodologies help ensure successful outcomes. (Vertis, 2019)
I have also greatly improved some of my persona attributes, including planning and organizational
skills, leadership skills, and the ability to multi-task. I have always held the perspective that multi
tasking results in several things not being done well; however, from this project, I have learned that
one needs multi tasking skills. Another lesson is that despite the best possible planning, projects are
characterized by more unknowns than the knowns and inevitably, challenges and issues will arise.
The most important thing, therefore, is knowing what to do when issues arise in projects
(Alexander, 2018). I have also come to the conclusion that risks are inherent in projects, and their
management determines to a great deal the outcomes of the projects being undertaken. While this
exercise has been richly rewarding and very educational, I believe I have just gotten started and
learning will always continue, especially with regard to effectively managing projects.

References
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