Readers/Web/Team/Retrospectives/2015-06-08

Undercover Brother/Voyage of the Damned & Gather Sprints (05/11/15-05/22/15 & 05/25/15-06/05/15)

Notable events

 * hackathon!

= Absences =
 * Sam Disney adventure
 * Much hackathon absence: 2015_lyon_hackathon_related_comp_n_vacation.pdf
 * Rob paternity leave

= Velocity =
 * Gatherers: ♡
 * WikiGroknards: 18/21
 * https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WhuTM1UBAVwFYJf6C6Rrd_INYlzKTa1oCSQnpvpougg/edit#gid=2

Previous Actions
https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T100296 [ONGOING, part of sprint planning]
 * Action! would be good to have at least one day on testwiki before en-wiki (push to group 0 instead of all wikis)/ would be good to then do something with the code that's there; ask people to do dedicated QA testing during this period [Rob/Kaldari] DONE
 * Action! Make sure every Tues afternoon someone takes look at test-wiki; (Jon is making a phab task https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T101865) [ALL]
 * Action! Run script that generates changelog since last derploy (and send to mailing list)
 * Action! every Monday is "clear the ready for signoff" day (but let's strive to keep it clear throughout the sprint!); ping JK or signer-offer when card moves to signoff NOT DONE
 * Action! put WIP limits on Code Review, Signoff [TEAM]
 * Action! explore new branching strategy (email): what about using master branch for done tasks, and dev branch for betalabs and signoff tasks [Joaquin] [Jon is gonna jump in the ring]
 * Action! make failing browser tests send to mobile-l [SAM] DONE (sent to reading list)
 * Jon worried he's still the only one looking at stuff
 * Jon fwd's flaky tests to Dan D.; getting better!
 * There is an EPIC in progress, will check in w/Sam when he returns

What's been working well?

 * A lot of code review to clear the backlog
 * Guerilla meetings with Google
 * Time given to deal with code debt(more like using the confusion to try to tackle tech debt)
 * priorities are confusing though; would like to schedule more dev-focused stuff
 * Cleaning up alpha, recognising the failures of stuff lingering in beta/alpha
 * Lyon was great for letting of steam and drinking beers and unusual brandy things
 * Support from QA
 * Dan D has been awesome

What hasn't worked well

 * Q1 planning without meaning.
 * Product support
 * Sam is product support for now
 * Needs documentation (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Mobile_Web/Team has Kaity working on VE :-))
 * MyTeam morale
 * not sure what goals are
 * feel like we're spinning our wheels
 * Off-site approval process/communication
 * 'Emergency' requests from search and other teams being dumped on us outside planning
 * Meeting attendance / late attendance
 * code review

What is confusing

 * The purpose/meaning/vision of readership +
 * Team members in&outs.
 * When is people going&leaving mexico.
 * Building lead images

Top issue: Readership issues- Action! Be patient :-)
 * JH: transparency seems lacking: we want to know where Toby is being pulled? What is actually going on?
 * JR: expectations need to be set: when can we expect to have a clear vision?
 * RK: desktop/mobile web feels important, but it also feels like we're the forgotten team (the 1%)
 * Baha: (this may be an org-wide feeling right now, not just our team)
 * JR: engineers join to tackle interesting problems, not tackling code debt; it's demoralizing. Google convo felt modern and exciting. Code debt doesn't get me up in the AM
 * Action! Maybe a team half-day hackathon to play with new technologies, hack on cool stuff [KL]
 * Action! Figure out Readership offsite!!!!!!! Miami/New Orleans! in September (i'm holidays on september)I thought Euro holidays were august? [KL]