Project Start Checklist

Project Start Checklist

Use this checklist to bootstrap your group project. Work through it as a team at the start of the project. Every item refers to a page in the Project Management Method — read that page if an item is unclear.

Two systems carry everything you deliver: GitLab for the team's work on the project, Portflow for anything personal. See Delivering your work.

Collaboration and agreements

• The collaboration contract is filled in, using the Collaboration Contract template.
• The role assignment is recorded in the collaboration contract:
  • Daily Master — runs the daily stand-up and stand-down
  • Issue Master — owns the use of the Issue Board
  • Communication Master — owns communication and scheduling of meetings
  • Backlog Master — owns sprint planning, product backlog and sprint backlog
  • Delivery Master — owns the internal sprint delivery, sprint review and retrospective
• It is recorded what team members without a formal role contribute to improving collaboration.
• Every team member has written down a SMART learning goal for the sprint, aimed either at their formal team role or — if they have no formal role — at improving collaboration (goal / responsibility / role).
• Agreements about the daily stand-up (09:00, 10 min) and stand-down (16:50, on campus, 10 min) are recorded, including confirmed time and location.
• Other agreements are recorded and the team knows where to find them — e.g. working together on campus, extra meetings outside stand-up/stand-down.

Repository

• A GitLab repository has been created, using the prescribed fixed folder structure.
• The commit convention is known to the whole team: the commit comment contains the user-story number and phase, e.g. US#3-Refine.
• The team knows that the latest version of the work is committed each day before the stand-down.

Issue Board

• One Issue Board has been set up for the sprint.
• The phases are correct: Open → Develop → Review → Refine → Evaluate → Finalize → Closed.
• The board is used as the team's central communication tool — not as a side administration next to another list.

Products and stories

• The team has looked at the Roadmap and picked the products it will work on this sprint. The roadmap describes the products you deliver during the project; your work items come from there.
• Each team member has one personal work item (within their profile) and the team has one group item (outside the profiles).
• Every User Story is linked to a Learning Story containing the theoretical framework, the methodology and the acceptance criteria.
• The team knows the Definition of Done and applies it before delivering a user story.

Meetings

• The Knowledge Sharing Meeting (min. 50 min, weekly) is scheduled.
• The Internal Project Meeting (25 min) is scheduled, and the team knows the agenda is shared at least two days in advance and the report is posted the same day.
• An expert review is scheduled; its feedback goes in Portflow, not in GitLab.
• The meeting with the client (min. 30 min, weekly, fixed time) is scheduled, with the rotating roles of chairperson, note-taker and participant recorded in the collaboration contract.

Portflow

• Your collaboration contract and SMART learning goal are in Portflow, in the Project Group collection, linked to the Manage & Collaboration learning outcome.
• You know how to record feedback you receive and link it to the success criteria — see Delivering your work.