Transcript SIMVaC Project Retrospective Summary (Retrospective held on 16 Sept 2005) Mary Lynn Manns [email protected] www.cs.unca.edu/~manns With special thanks to Heather Nelson, NEMAC research student.

SIMVaC
Project Retrospective Summary
(Retrospective held on 16 Sept 2005)
Mary Lynn Manns
[email protected]
www.cs.unca.edu/~manns
With special thanks to
Heather Nelson, NEMAC research student
What is SIMVaC?
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(Feb’04) A proposal to the University of North
Carolina in Response to the Initiative for
Computational Science, Computer Science, High
Performance Computing and Information Systems
Scientific Innovations in Numerical Modeling, Digital
Visualization, and High-speed Connectivity in Western
North Carolina
Partnering institutions: UNC-Asheville, UNCCharlotte, A-B Tech
$600,000 (over 2 years)
11 different projects
What is a Project Retrospective?
A retrospective is an
opportunity for the
participants to
learn how to
improve. The focus
is on learning—
not fault-finding.
Norm Kerth
Why retrospectives?
Learning and development do not necessarily occur as a result of
the experience itself but as a result of reflection explicitly designed to
foster learning and development.
B. Jacoby
For many of the team members, this will be the first time they consciously
think about the processes they use.
N. Kerth
… wisdom comes from our ability to understand the relationship between
an individual’s work and that of the entire team. … I have seen wholeteam reflection explain, discover, and teach so much. I believe that
there is no better way to improve a team’s performance and
quality.
N. Kerth
Reflect and find a better way
Here is Edward Bear, coming
downstairs now, bump,
bump, bump, bump, on the
back of his head, behind
Christopher Robin. It is, as
far as he knows, the only way
of coming downstairs, but
sometimes he feels that there
is another way, if only he
could stop bumping for a
moment
and think of it.
A. A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh
The purpose of a retrospective is
learning, which allows a team to…
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… correct (sometimes recurring) mistakes
… gather data for overall assessment
… create more accurate & complete reports
… prepare for future projects
… identify and document “lessons learned”
… build a better sense of community
During the SIMVaC retrospective…
Information was gathered with techniques:
Set the stage
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Prime Directive
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Ground rules
Look at the big picture
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Define Success
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Artifacts Contest
Look at the details
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Create timeline and “mine” it
Plan for the future
Timeline
What did it show us?
We had a slow start but the work is accelerating
There are many different things going on
We are missing part of the story
We are learning as we go
Collaboration is happening
Define Success
I wish we could do that over again the very same way.
Why couldn’t you respond ‘yes’?...
Summary of Issues:
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Money, Budget
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Management
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Cohesiveness of Project
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Group Interaction
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Content of Project
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Resources (time, experience, etc.)
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The Future
Major Errors & Costs
We seem to be addressing most of these:
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slow start-up
involvement of students
communication & missed opportunities
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delay & lack of experience
inclusion of a minority institution
“Big Picture” Impressions
The individual projects are doing good things but the overall goals are
not clear:
What are the research goals?
How can we improve this in future projects?
There are strong collaborations but not a general cohesiveness in the
complete team.
We need a better understanding of the work UNC-C is doing.
We should start considering how we can leverage SIMVaC into future
projects.
Other Impressions?
Thanks
to everyone who participated in the
SIMVaC retrospective!
For more information:
Mary Lynn Manns
[email protected]
www.cs.unca.edu/~manns