Project Journey With Tech Guilds
Projects with Melbourne Tech Guilds are encouraged to more-or-less follow the below journey.
1. Project introduction
It could be a real tangible product or even an exploration of a particular topic and listing the currently envisioned outcome in a few lines.
2. Guild placement
Based on the current major topic of the project, it could get focus from the coding guild. Once a major topic is completed, the project could move to another guild for focused attention. For example, once the electronics and coding is complete, a project would need focus in the mechanical parts. Or a project may be part of multiple guilds at a time.
3. Visibility
We list your project being built on our website after initial version for community members to find. Encouragement for frequent check-ins to Github or other repository.
We also recommend a project on Github with high-level milestones. We can provide the template but it is entirely on the maker’s discretion.
- Initial version – This may already have been done when the maker walks in with the half-built project or could be built after the outcome statement.
- Outcome statement – This could be an one-liner announcement in the Discord channel for the guild.
- Steps towards completion – Builder adds the next steps in GitHub projects based on current level of clarity and tries to constantly update it.
- Documentation – Can be done in README.md or using the Wiki feature of GitHub. Encouragement should be provided to the builder to continuously update the documentation.
- Contact – Discord handle, link to personal page of builder as per builder’s descretion.
4. Community building
Completely as per the comfort of the builder, we try our best to connect the builder with like-minded individuals in the group.
a. Guild buddy search – ideally someone who is a builder and interested in the topic of the project. Encouragement is provided to the builder to develop the preliminary version and also to mature and conclude the project.
b. Guide search – Could be the mentor of the applicable guild or the guild buddy themselves.
c. Project team search – Could be members of guild who are interested in collaboration and contribution if required.
d. Watchers/students search – Could be random people who want to be involved and be informed of the progress.
5. Engagement with builder
a. Mentoring and motivation in the form of encouragement and interest in the project and being excited about it happening.
b. Frequent check-ins in the form of asking questions to satisfy curiosity, learning and celebrating progress.
c. Advise when asked for or when absolutely necessary to enable the builder to make the right strategic choices.
d. Constructive feedback in the form of understanding deeply the effort involved, technical challenges and recommendations on direction based on the current phase of the project.
e. Getting involved and actively contributing if the maker wants by doing some of the work by converting it into a group project or volunteering to do parts of it.
f. Acknowledgement of learnings from the maker’s effort and citation when using knowledge provided by the maker.
6. Presentation
The maker is given an opportunity by the guild mentor to present and celebrate the project to Melbourne Tech Guilds. In the presentation, learnings are shared with fellow-makers and due appreciation is provided.
7. Historical listing
Completed projects can be listed on the Tech Guilds website and a chance for the creator to be listed as a prolific maker after being a consistent contributor.