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We started two days prior to Christmas and finished very late Christmas day.
Like many of my software engagements, our puzzle project was time-boxed and was to be finished by end of Christmas, the project team worked long hours into the early morning, and there were plenty of assorted snacks and caffeinated beverages for the team to indulge on during the project.
The puzzle team engaged in all phases of a project of this sort:
1. Planning - We started by finding the perfect spot to work where light was available and the environment was conducive to success. We settled on the family room equipped with extra lamps, away from the television and next to the heat and calming effect of the fireplace. The puzzle pieces were dumped on the table and ready to be organized so each piece is set upside right.
2. Implementation - The team took to sorting pieces. We sorted pieces by color, by size, and by straight edges. We worked section by section identifying the main component of the final picture, starting with the foundation component and border of the puzzle. The implementation consisted of pattern recognition (matching puzzle pieces), spatial awareness (understanding what goes where) and logical problem solving.
3. Testing - The construction of the puzzle was a reiterative process consisting of:
- finding a piece,
- testing the placement,
- repeat until each section of the puzzle was complete.
4. Deployment - The sections stared to come together and the overall goal was finally coming to fruition. Like any software deployments there are last minute glitches that always seem to delay or jeopardize the success of the project. This time it was two missing pieces. The floor was searched, the dog was blamed, and ultimately the pieces were found..
This puzzle team is similar to many of the development teams I worked with in the past. We are all individuals with specific skill sets working to a common goal. Some like to pick a piece to place and search among the various piles of unused puzzle pieces. Their hands never touch the board until they are ready to engage. Some like to use the pick, test, repeat method while having their hands on the puzzle and unused pieces during the whole process. Finally, there is the team member that likes to build on their own and they will find a specific color or object and hoard all the pieces for that color or object while building on the side in their own space.
Success was finally ours and rejoiced at the finished product. The puzzle was finished well after midnight, but the team continued for another hour having a snack, warm beverage, and recapping out recent success. This was a very special project and congratulations to the entire team. I will remember this project and working with this team for a very long time. I am already looking forward to next year.