Sprint 1‐2 Updates (April 7‐May 2, 2025) - RutgersGRID/VIDAHub GitHub Wiki

VIDA Project - Sprint Status Report

Project Phases Overview

Phase 1: Infrastructure & Process Development (Current) Establishing the foundational infrastructure, workflows, and initial tools to demonstrate the concept and value proposition. This phase focuses on building the technical foundation that will support all future development.

Phase 2: Tool Dashboard & Resource Hub (Upcoming) Creating a centralized platform for accessing tools and resources, expanding the available tool set, and refining the user experience. This phase will create the user-facing interfaces and expand the tool collection.

Phase 3: End-User Tool Creation Platform (Future) Empowering end users to create their own tools through an intuitive interface, expanding platform capabilities, and creating a sustainable ecosystem. This phase will transform VIDA from a tool collection to a platform where educators can create their own solutions.

Sprint 1 (April 7-18, 2025)

Executive Summary

Sprint 1 focused on establishing project fundamentals and team infrastructure for Phase 1 (Infrastructure & Process Development). The team successfully created foundational project documentation, set up communication channels, defined the development environment, and produced the initial project vision materials. A significant achievement was the creation of our first AI-powered tool prototype, the Video/Image Description Bot, which demonstrates the core functionality that will drive future development. Overall, this sprint laid a solid groundwork for the technical and organizational aspects of the VIDA project.

Key Accomplishments

Phase 1: Project Management & Documentation

  • ✅ Created a comprehensive onboarding process for new developers
  • ✅ Successfully onboarded student workers to the project team
  • ✅ Established dedicated Slack channels for team communications
  • ✅ Developed a phased implementation plan outlining project evolution
  • ✅ Documented user stories by implementation phase to clarify priorities
  • ✅ Created an integrated project timeline connecting requirements with deliverables
  • ✅ Established project guiding pillars to align decision-making with core values
  • ✅ Produced a compelling project video trailer for stakeholder communications
  • ✅ Developed a comprehensive project design document as a single source of truth
  • ✅ Created mind maps to visualize relationships between project components
  • ✅ Completed first pass of project README documentation

Phase 1: Development & Technical Infrastructure

  • ✅ Defined standardized development environment (VS Code, UV, GitHub)
  • ✅ Shared the technical pattern and technology stack for the project

Phase 1: Initial Prototype

  • ✅ Developed first prototype: Video/Image Description Bot for accessibility requirements

Metrics & Progress

  • User Stories Completed: 13 of 13 planned (100%)
  • Phase 1 Progress: 25% complete
  • Documentation Created: 8 foundation documents
  • Technical Infrastructure: Development environment defined
  • Team Onboarding: 100% of planned team members successfully onboarded

Blockers & Challenges

  • No significant blockers encountered during this sprint
  • Minor delay in finalizing development environment setup due to software compatibility issues (resolved)

Lessons Learned

  • Early definition of project pillars proved valuable in aligning team vision
  • Project management documentation is providing clear guidance for new team members
  • Need to improve the level of technical detail in onboarding materials based on initial feedback

Sprint 2 (April 21 - May 2, 2025) - In Progress

Current Sprint Focus

Sprint 2 continues work on Phase 1 (Infrastructure & Process Development), focusing on developing the core AI integration pipelines, enhancing developer documentation, and creating deployment automation scripts. We're also developing our first educational tool prototype.

Key Tasks In Progress

Phase 1: AI Integration Pipelines

  • As a developer, I want to create core AI integration pipelines for Claude, so that we can leverage AI capabilities in our applications.
  • As a developer, I want to create core AI integration pipelines for OpenAI, so that we can leverage AI capabilities in our applications.
  • As a developer, I want to create core AI integration pipelines for Hugging Face models, so that we can leverage AI capabilities in our applications.

Phase 1: Developer Documentation

  • As a developer, I want to document the GitHub workflow process, so that all team members follow consistent practices for code contribution and reviews.
  • As a development team leader, I want to create a comprehensive onboarding document, so that new team members can quickly understand our technology stack and get started.
  • As a technical lead, I want to create documentation for the AI integration pipelines, so that other developers understand how to properly connect with Claude and Hugging Face models.

Phase 1: Development Infrastructure

  • As a developer, I want to build automation scripts for dependency management and deployment, so that we can streamline the development process.

Phase 1: Application Development

  • As a faculty member, I want to access simple educational mini-game templates, so that I can create basic interactive learning activities.
  • As a stakeholder, I want to be able to review the app online, so that I can provide feedback on functionality and design.

Expected Deliverables

  • Three fully functional AI integration pipelines
  • Complete developer documentation package
  • Automation scripts for streamlined development
  • Mini-game template prototype
  • Streamlit Cloud deployment for stakeholder reviews

Upcoming: Sprint 3 (May 5-16, 2025) - Proposed

Proposed Focus

Sprint 3 will continue Phase 1 (Infrastructure & Process Development) and focus on Docker containerization and establishing the deployment infrastructure. This is a critical step to ensure consistent deployment of our Streamlit applications.

Proposed Tasks

Phase 1: Docker Configuration and Containerization

  • As a developer, I want to have a standardized Docker template for Streamlit applications, so that I can consistently containerize any Streamlit app in the VIDA project.
  • As a developer, I want to create a multi-app Docker container architecture with Nginx, so that I can efficiently bundle multiple Streamlit applications into a single deployment.
  • As a DevOps engineer, I want to set up a central infrastructure repository, so that all deployment configurations and scripts are maintained in one place.

Looking Ahead

  • Sprint planning meeting scheduled for May 6, 2025
  • Team to validate proposed tasks and timelines
  • Additional tasks may be added based on learnings from Sprint 2
  • Phase 1 expected to complete in Sprint 4, with transition to Phase 2 beginning in Sprint 5

Appendix: Sprint 1 User Stories (Completed)

Phase 1: Infrastructure & Process Development

  1. As a project manager, I want to create a structured onboarding process for new developers, so that new team members can quickly become productive contributors with minimal friction.
  2. As a project manager, I want to onboard and orient student workers to the project, so that they can contribute effectively within their roles.
  3. As a project manager, I want to create dedicated Slack channels for the project, so that team communications remain focused and organized.
  4. As a project manager, I want to create a phased implementation plan, so that everyone understands how the project will evolve over time.
  5. As a project manager, I want to document user stories by implementation phase, so that development priorities are clear across the project lifecycle.
  6. As a project manager, I want to identify connections between technical requirements, user needs, and delivery timelines, so that we can develop an integrated approach to project development.
  7. As a project manager, I want to establish project guiding pillars and principles, so that decision-making remains aligned with our core values and objectives.
  8. As a project manager, I want to create a compelling video trailer, so that I can effectively communicate the project vision to stakeholders and generate enthusiasm for the initiative.
  9. As a project manager, I want to develop a comprehensive project design document, so that we have a single source of truth for project scope, architecture, and requirements.
  10. As a project manager, I want to develop mind maps of project components, so that I can visualize and communicate the relationships between different aspects of the project.
  11. As a developer, I want to set up a standardized development environment with VS Code, UV package manager, and GitHub, so that I can efficiently contribute to the project.
  12. As a faculty member, I want to use the bot to assist me in creating descriptions for images/videos, so that I meet the Accessibility requirements.
  13. First pass at Readme - Maka