Passion Project

So far in the course you have learned many things, and have been told what to make, for you final deliverable, you are charged with looking into the future and planning the execution.

The final capstone project in our coding bootcamp's Unit 4 provides students the opportunity to synthesize the skills they have acquired during the course by building a passion project.

The project must fit into one of six pre-defined categories, ranging from advanced full-stack applications to interactive portfolios.

Planning is crucial and should be outlined in a Trello board that holds different lists, including 'Icebox' for future tasks, 'Current/MVP' for immediate tasks, and 'Completed' for finished tasks.

Additional deliverables include wireframes and an Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD). The project must meet minimum requirements and be reasonably scoped. Failing to submit essential elements like the ERD, wireframe, and Trello board will result in not passing the project.

Expanded Description:

Introduction

Welcome to the final stretch of your coding bootcamp journey! The capstone project is designed to serve as both a test and a celebration of your newly-acquired skills. Unlike previous assignments, where you were given specific tasks to complete, your final capstone allows you the freedom to build a project that is fueled by your own passion and interests.

Types of Projects

You have six options to consider for your project:

  1. Advanced Full Stack Web Application: Dive deep into frameworks like Next.js, Gatsby, or Remix, building an advanced full-stack app that demonstrates your mastery.
  2. Alternative Stack Web Application: Exercise flexibility by pairing frontend frameworks like React with alternative backends such as React with Rub on Rails, React with Django, Vue JS with Express, React & Express Using Sequelize to MongoDB & Mongoose.
  3. MERN Stack on the Cloud: Develop a common MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node) application and deploy it on Microsoft Azure or AWS to showcase your cloud expertise. (instead of Digital Ocean)
  4. Exceptional User Experience: Focus on frontend development by creating a React application that consumes an external API, with special attention to user experience and design.
  5. Decoupled Application: Separate your frontend and backend into two different deployments, emphasizing a microservices architecture. You may repurpose your Unit 2 project for this.
  6. Interactive Portfolio: Craft a dynamic portfolio to display your skills and projects, making it interactive to engage visitors.

Planning Requirements

Before diving into coding, adequate planning is essential. You will need to organize your thoughts and tasks within a Trello board containing the following lists:

  • Icebox: A box for tasks and user stories that are not immediate but may become relevant later.
  • Current/MVP: A list of must-do tasks and user stories that will enable you to reach your project’s Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
  • Completed: A list to hold any tasks or user stories you've completed.

Additionally, you are expected to draft:

  • Wireframes: Simple sketches that outline the user interface for major functionalities in your application.
  • Entity-Relationship-Diagram (ERD): A diagram that illustrates how different data entities in your application interact and relate to one another.

User stories should be structured as As a <role>, I want <feature> so that <reason>, where the reason is optional.

Also groom your tasks yourself and assign story point values to each task and hold yourself accountable to it.

Notes

If you choose to use an alternative stack view the polyglot material, if you choose cloud or user experience go to My GA and look for the capstone projects and choose UX Engeneering or the Azure based cloud material.

Submission Guidelines

The deliverables must at least include an ERD, wireframe, and a Trello board with all planned work, which should also encompass research tickets. Your GitHub repository link, showcasing at least five story points' worth of work running without errors, is mandatory. Failing to submit these will result in an unsuccessful project evaluation.

Final Thoughts

This capstone project aims to provide you with a meaningful, realistic experience that mimics real-world software development projects. It's not just about writing code but also about planning, designing, managing your time, and, most importantly, delivering a product you're passionate about.