XP2001LegoWorkshopTranscript

Udi Shemer was our reporter in the spot, thanks for your brilliant effort.

This is a minute by minute blow of the experience of one of the teams in the (shortened) 2nd workshop. Some great quotes here!!!

18:05 - The workshop presentation ended. Eggbert1 - "I want a customer with us.". Tim -"Well, we're less than 50ft away"

18:15 - Spiking session - The Eggbert twins & Dilbert are doing hardware, the rest software. The software guys are fiddling around, trying to figure out what calls what. The twins are building a simple car and timing their work. Eggbert2 -"3 minutes for chassis". Eggbert1 - "5 minutes to get something running".

18:30 - In the planning game. Estimating times for the different tasks. Eggbert1 - "I need a customer here. We need to ask about what 'return to the start' (bump & return) means". When planning tasks for the dragster story: Catbert - "We need to add a task to improve where it stops". Eggbert1 - "Just do the simplest thing". Catbert - "But we don't have any task to do this". Eggbert2 - "So we'll test it - Maybe say OOPS - and then add a task to fix it"

18:40 - Software guys are producing the software for the dragster. The twins & Dilbert are building a basic robot & the backup together (backup is always a few steps behind).

18:47 - The whole team is loosing focus. The software guys want something to load on and test. They get the robot, and then they stop building the backup robot. The robot keeps going back & forth between the teams as the placement of the engine wires are figured out.

18:50 - Albert - "You finished the first hardware task." Eggbert1 - "No. We didn't test it. Line it up and run it"

18:52 - Have a timed test.

18:55 - Tom intervenes. Sets every one back on track. Rotates pairs. Focus returns. They continue building the backup. Eggbert1 is tracker.

19:03 - Software is waiting for backup robot. In the meantime, they add software for the proximity switch.

19:08 - Eggbert1 is not tracking. Everyone is watching hardware team.

19:10 - Iteration end. Eggbert1 to HW guys referring to the switch they added - "You're building that without running the test cases every time."

19:14 - Official Test. bump & return. Time 5.03. Then they test dragster - 3.18 secs / stops 12 blocks after line. The fastest time till then. There was much rejoicing…

19:18 - Planning - Paul is instructing them. They estimate velocity. Tom - "Look, you are ahead off everybody in completion, but second place on both events". (They are not the fastest any more) Planning the circuit race story (the robot is about 35cm long, and with the big wheels): Catbert - "We don't need any hardware tasks to do this. Only software" Eggbert1 - "Are you kidding ? This thing will turn like the Titanic" Eggbert2 - "It's as long as the track" (referring to the straight part of the track)

19:20 - Paul writes velocity & times for tasks, separating software and hardware responsibilities. Paul - "Same robot has to do all 3 stories. Regression test all".

19:25 - Estimates. Catbert & Bugbert are arguing if a task should take 10 minutes or 12 minutes. After a few minutes they look up at the Eggbert twins who react simultaneously: "WHO CARES !!!"

19:31 - Iteration 2: The Eggbert twins + Albert are software. Dilbert is Tracker. Catbert & Bugbert are hardware. Software people are trying to do all stories using the same program. Dilbert looks for design patterns in the Lego book. Hardware guys are having a hard time deciding how to modify the robot so it will be able to turn. They are taking off parts of the robot to test things.

19:35 - Software guys are still trying to figure out how to make all stories work with a single program. The problem they are discussing is how to make the sensor not stop the robot (dragster story) in the curcuit story. Eggbert1 gives all kinds of ideas -"if the wheels are both going in the same direction don't stop. Otherwise stop."

19:37 - Eggbert1 - "Ok. There is another solution. RTFM."

19:40 - Eggbert1 - " We don't have to do them in the same program !". The hardware people are busy doing a major redo.

19:43 - The Lego laptop software crashes. The hardware guys suddenly realize - Catbert "Oh, oh. We broke the prototype. We need to rebuild everything". 007 Dilbert (tracker) employs industrial espionage. He tells the hardware guys "Look at them" referring them to the team 2 robot. Bugbert - "Yah, we can do that".

19:53 Lego software starts again. Hardware team succeeds in making something that can turn.

19:57 Regression tests - Failure - switch falls off in bump & return.

19:58 Hardware regression works. Prototypes are swapped with software.

19:59 Tests of integration.

20:01 Iteration ended.

20:03 Official Test: Dragster 2.76 secs / 10 blocks. Bump and return. CCCRRRAAASSSHHH !!! The ultimate disaster crash. Spontaneous decomposition of the robot. You should see the picture at http://www.okchicken.com/~timm/photos/xp2001/116-1618_IMG.JPG.

20:10 Fixed the robot.

20:11 Bump & return: 4.86 secs

All teams tied closely on the final times.

Udi Shemer

I find this description (pardon the pun) extremely interesting. I saw someone lurking around taking notes, but didn't expect to have this type of feedback. I really appreciate it! - JosephPelrine (alias Eggbert1 ;-)

p.s. RoyMiller was Eggbert2, Nathaniel was Dilbert. I didn't know the other 3.

Do you have information on how to run a lego workshop? I found this quite interesting because I too have a lego Mindstorm set and see it as a great way to instill XP practices. RustyWalters ³host³³date³July 29, 2002³agent³Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0b; Windows NT 5.0; .NET CLR 1.0.3705)³XP2001LegoWorkshopTranscrip ³³XP2001LegoWorkshopTranscript