20 Jul 2021 - Have you chosen your Codegeist category yet?

[CarrieMamantov]

As Codegeist is underway, we want to continue sharing helpful information for you and your hackathon team. Since Codegeist is Forge-focused, we’ll be using this category to communicate tips and updates, plus we will tag them Topics tagged codegeist-2021.

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Hopefully you’ve taken the first step and registered for Codegeist. Registration is quick and easy, even if you’re not sure what to build yet. You can create your profile with your basic skills and interests, and flag if you are looking for a team, already have one, or want to go it alone.

The good news is, the submission process can be broken out into a few steps. If you start now, you won’t feel like you have a huge task at the end, when you’re also trying to record a demo and finalize any bugs or changes to the app.

In this post, we’ll talk about one of the first steps to take after registration: Describing your app submission .

Look out for more tips that can help you get your submission across the finish line.

TIPS!!! >> Stage 1: Describing the submission

• Project name - this can be a placeholder and you can come back to edit it - Don’t stop here!
• Elevator pitch - try to write a problem statement plus a benefit to the user. Then, plan to come back to refine your pitch after you’ve talked about your project with a few different people.
• Category - This is where you will select whether your app addresses a DevOps, IT or Business problem. This can also be changed up until the time you submit the entire entry. DUE SEPT 13, check time zone details here
  • (Hint: If you think your app applies to more than one option, choose the category where you feel your app has a unique differentiator from the others).

QUESTION >> Have you chosen your category yet? Anybody feel like sharing what factors are going into their thought process?

As a reminder, the team categories are:

1. Built for DevOps:
   App and integrations that help dev teams streamline their workflows and automate manual processes so they can build, test, and release software faster and more reliably.
2. Built for IT:
   These apps should help dev and IT ops teams to collaborate faster by responding to changes and to deliver great customer and employee service.
3. Built for Business:
   Apps that help keep non-technical teams connected and aligned on shared work and goals, whether they’re fully remote, distributed or in-person.

Very curious to hear what everyone is working on. Let’s talk!

[CarrieMamantov]

GOOD NEWS!! We have collected some hackathon advice for anyone participating in #codegeist-2021. Here’s the first one…

1. Think about the audience

A new Harvard Business Review piece written by cofounder of VitalSmarts and New York Times best-selling author Joseph Grenney offers valuable inspiration for your app design. “Real connection happens when you see past the details of a task to its human consequences.” As a developer, this can help connect what you build to the outcome you’re trying to achieve. In other words, no matter what you’re building, it’s important to know specifics about and for whom you are building.

You can read through all seven here and/or look for the panel discussion to offer some additional inspiration.