Wikimedia Apps/imported/Retrospective-June 04 2015

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Previous Retrospective Actions[edit]

Action! Clarify what devices/configurations are supported in Android/strategies for support, deprecation [Stephen] NOT DONE

Action! Write user stories to clarify requirements for improving CI & dev workflow ONGOING

  • some motion on this @hackathon for Android (there are some Phab cards) and commitment from RelEng to support
  • not so clear for iOS, but BG is planning on pushing on this front.
  • Action! Next step: reach out to Greg to communicate requirements [Brian]

Previous previous actions:

Action! draft suggestions for reforming Quarterly planning and share with team [KL] DONE

Worked Well[edit]

  • Actual Ideas from Hackathon that look like we can turn into features
  • Prototypes are moving quickly
  • Some much needed changes like full width images got in before we dropped ios 6 support despite hackathon (go team!!!!)
  • Alpha/ beta channels working nicely on Android
  • Productivity of apps at Hackathon (WOW!)
  • Using Crash reporting to fix issues
  • Prioritzing, Fixing, and Responding to bugs and UI tweaks
  • Prioritizing performance and user experience
    • Dev<->Design tight feedback loops
    • Formal Design & QA sign-off steps

Worked Poorly[edit]

  • BG: (Lack of) continuous integration
    • BG: Unit tests have broken multiple times, further exacerbating the lack of incentive to write more tests
  • BG: Regression testing on old OS's
    • BG: Had one nasty release blocker on iOS 6 that should've been caught *much* earlier in the process
  • BG: Testing & responsiveness to issues with various languages
    • BG: we've been crashing on startup in Norway for... let's just say too long +
  • BG: App Store reviews as a feedback signal (as one review noted: we are "hedgehogs")
    • BG: need to look into something that can provide notifications (i.e. a loop for the feedback) like App Annie
  • BG: Process for updating regression test cases+
    • BG: We need a way to make sure all the important stuff we do has a corresponding update to regression testing docs
  • Crash reporting accidentally getting turned off...
    • BG: beat me to it, but I kind of covered this in "Process for updating regression test cases"
    • BG: not only was crash reporting broken in production, but it wasn't even working in Alpha channel :-(
  • BG: OTRS++(+BG)
  • Engaging Research for User Testing+
  • We dont understand how are users are or where they are - need analysis at this point +1 (+100000BG) -99999BSj/k
    • BG: or what app/device versions they're on...
  • Code review meetings (too busy)
  • Communication with mobile web (readership as a whole)+++++
  • Double meetings (iOS and Android work closely possibly at the expense of excluding mobile web)
  • Fighting with the Org - refighting old battles

Confuses Us[edit]

  • CI (see previous point about fighting with org) (+BG)+
  • Criteria for task acceptance (might just confuse me); where to pick up "accepted" tasks?
  • What does velocity actually measure/what do we want it to? (Why so many 0 tasks?) +

Top three items[edit]

  • Communication with mobile web (readership as a whole)+++++
    • Would be nice to have better defined process for upstreaming changes that would benefit all platforms
    • Would be nice to have awareness/process around features and wins in the app that would be beneficial across platforms
    • Way to collate our services needs to get more leverage as stakeholders

Action! Mega readership standup on eg Weds; scrum of scrums for readership (+ design and product); types of topics = channel/feature matrix or rolling up needs [Kristen]

Action! coordinate needs and roll up to Adam so he can communicate them out

  • BG: OTRS++(+BG)
  • We dont understand how are users are or where they are - need analysis at this point +1 (+100000BG) -99999BSj/k
    • BG: or what app/device versions they're on...
  • CI (see previous point about fighting with org) (+BG)+