Project Management

My journey through Fab Academy has been a rollercoaster of growth and self-discovery, filled with moments of triumph and challenges that pushed me to my limits. Central to navigating this whirlwind has been my evolving approach to project management.

Before Mid-Term

Since the start of Fab Academy, my instructor always tried to keep our final project on track by arranging a monthly progress check-in or review. This was necessary because the three of us at Fab Lab Bali often juggled many projects and could easily get distracted. Initially, I personally compiled all information about my final project into a master slide. The reason was because in slides, you don’t need to write a lot haha. However, in the end as I write this now during crunch time with the deadline approaching, I have to write anyway… so I realized I should have just documented everything directly on my website from the beginning.

Mid-Term Review

During the Mid-Term Review, approximately two months before the Final Project presentation, we were tasked to do overall planning and creating a Gantt chart for our final project.

The midterm exercise, really helped me in getting real with my final project. It forced me to reconsider the overall system of my project: which electronic components I wanted to use, how the electronic system should function, and what power supply would be most suitable. Although not everything was crystal clear, I gained a sense of direction.

During the mid-term review, Rico suggested that I work simultaneously on both the electronic system and the 3D design & production. However, because I still wasn’t entirely clear on how to revise my design—especially considering the inputs for my project concept that I discuss here—and because my project involved several sensors and I wasn’t very proficient in programming, I decided to prioritize diving into the electronics first.

The implication? Well, I must admit, I procrastinated a bit with my 3D design, pushing it until the last minute (two weeks before the final presentation). On the 3D Design & Production page, you can see how I learned the importance of first getting your hands dirty with physical prototyping.

Post Mid-Term Review to FP Presentation

As the presentation day approached, we had progress check-in sessions every two weeks, which eventually increased to weekly sessions. I maintained development logs for the electronic system to track my FP progress during the initial two weeks, but as the deadline (D-day) approaching, I felt I don’t have time to document on the website and just focus on getting things done.

Despite this, I personally managed and tracked my progress. While I don’t have a specific name for my project management tracking strategy, in my day-to-day life, I follow a method inspired by the “Timebox” planner from the book “The One Thing” by Gary Keller. It starts with a Brain Dump section where I list down all tasks that come to mind. Once I’ve listed everything, I assess priorities by asking myself, “What is the one thing that needs to be done, such that by doing it, everything else would be easier or even unnecessary?” From there, I select the top three tasks for the day. Then, I timeblock these tasks throughout the day based on estimated durations for each one.

I’ve basically adapted this daily planning approach to track my FP page progress. I started by assessing where I currently stand and what needs to be done. Then, I categorize tasks according to topics (on the right). Finally, I prioritize the order in which tasks should be tackled. Here’s a glimpse of my final project tracking.

A week before FP Presentation

A week before the FP presentation, our instructor, Rico, visited us in Bali to help us all. During his stay, everything was organized and structured:

• We began the day by assessing our current situation and identifying priorities for the day, typically focusing on three main tasks.
• Rico also emphasized the importance of time management, reminding us regularly of the passing minutes, often notifying us every 30-40 minutes to keep us on track.
• Beyond task management, one valuable lesson we all learned was the importance of maintaining a clean and organized workspace, free from liquids and potential mistakes. I must admit, our home lab was in such a mess, so we dedicated mornings and evenings to ensuring everything was back to its proper place.
• Additionally, Rico stressed the significance of adequate sleep—a point that resonated deeply with me personally, as I had been consistently staying up past 3 AM in the preceding weeks. This lack of sleep cost me some silly yet crucial mistakes like milling the wroung pcb layout 😭

More Reflections

• Despite my efforts to be methodical and organized, I often find myself falling into rabbit holes and leaving things until the last minute. I attribute this tendency to my preference for following an ideal, step-by-step approach, which can sometimes result in slow progress. Despite prioritizing tasks, I occasionally let my mood dictate my actions, which can be a challenge.

  Regarding this, one key thing that I also learn from Rico is to work time-based, not task-based! When time is not on our side, we need to shift the way we approach our work.. So, by setting a time limit, force yourself to get whatever the most important thing done in that timeframe and move to something else.

• Another key takeaway from this journey that stands out the most—Spiral Development! This approach has been instrumental in helping me focus on identifying essential requirements and completing tasks efficiently. It’s a principle that I believe I will always carry forward.

• Another important aspect I’ve learned is also communication. I’ve noticed that I sometimes struggle to communicate clearly with my instructor. I tend to reach out only when I have something substantial/ worthy enough to show.. I need to learn more how to share unrefined, raw, ugly, failed progress at the time it’s happening.. not when it has already passed. In the context when you have remote instructor, communication is very crucial so that your instructor knows how to help you.

My journey in Fab Academy has been a valuable lesson in the importance of proactive planning, adaptability in project management, communication, and the role of environment and personal well-being in achieving project goals effectively. These insights will definitely influence my future approach to manging projects and managing myself.