A hackathon is an extremely intense collaborative event where teams of participants brainstorm and implement their creative ideas into actual working products using high energy levels and innovative thought processes over either a one or two day period to produce functional prototypes of their original ideas. Hackathons are generally viewed as disorganized and chaotic events; however, some of the characteristics of a successful hackathon include; remaining focused, working as a team and making sound decisions. Hackathons are not just coding competitions but rather they provide an opportunity for developers, designers, marketers and project managers to come together to creatively solve very real-world problems quickly. One of the most effective ways that a team can perform well at a hackathon is to first identify a clearly defined, simple to articulate problem.
Teams that get distracted by technology fads and trends instead of truly defining where users are having issues do not perform as well at hackathons. A successful project requires that the team identifies a clearly defined and basic problem and a simple solution, that can be implemented in the time allocated to them. A smaller problem scope allows the teams to focus all of their energies on developing one core feature rather than on attempting to develop multiple poorly executed features. Another important consideration with regard to team structure is how well the team members are able to work together. High performing teams will divide the responsibilities of completing tasks among team members upfront at the beginning of the hackathon, allowing for completion by the members at the same time. The team will typically consist of individuals from the product development, design, product strategy and marketing departments. By identifying individuals' areas of responsibility, opportunities for confusion are reduced, increasing the likelihood of success when the hackathon has concluded.
Comments
Post a Comment