Application Challenges Spring 2025

Tech Lead/Developer Challenge

Tech Lead/Developer Challenge

Overview

This challenge is designed to provide an accurate representation of the day-to-day challenges faced by developers at Blueprint. We aim to assess your software engineering skills, problem-solving abilities, and how effectively you can contribute to a high-performance software team. Developing software collaboratively presents unique challenges, such as maintaining a consistent codebase and ensuring seamless integration of changes when multiple developers work on similar features. This challenge will evaluate how well you navigate these challenges while adhering to best practices in software development.

Modern software applications are typically divided into a frontend and a backend. In this challenge, you will contribute to a project the Tech Team has been actively developing over the past year. Our tech stack consists of:

You will be expected to work within this stack and follow industry best practices for software development.

Blueprint Admin

As Blueprint continues to grow, so does our need for efficient resource management. The Blueprint Admin platform aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the organization's current state. Through this dashboard, the Executive Board (E-board) and Tech Leads will be able to:

Challenge

You must choose one of the issues listed below and implement a solution.

Frontend Issues (Repository)

Backend Issues (Repository)

How to Contribute

Follow these steps to fork the repository, make changes, and submit a Pull Request (PR).

Fork the Repository

  1. Navigate to the repository you want to contribute to:
  2. Click on the "Fork" button in the top-right corner.
  3. This creates a copy of the repository in your GitHub account.

Clone the Forked Repository

After forking, clone the repository to your local machine:

git clone https://github.com/{your-github-username}/blueprint_admin.git

or for backend:

git clone https://github.com/{your-github-username}/blueprint_admin_backend.git

Remember the Tech Team will be working on the repos concurrently. Remember to pull from the origin constantly!

Set Up the Development Environment

Frontend

  1. Install dependencies:
    npm install
  2. Start the development server:

    npm start

Backend

Run the database using Docker

docker-compose up --build

Compile the service

./gradlew build

Run the service

./gradlew bootRun

If you have issues with any of the steps mentioned above, visit the troubleshoot section in the README.md

Create a New Branch

Before making changes, create a new branch:

git checkout -b fix-issue-XX

Replace XX with the issue number.

Implement Your Solution

Commit Your Changes

After making your changes, commit them:

git add .

Push your branch to GitHub:

git push origin fix-issue-XX

Submit a Pull Request

  1. Go to the forked repository (Blueprint Admin or Backend).
  2. Click "Compare & pull request".
  3. Provide a clear PR description:
    • Reference the issue number.
    • Describe your changes.
    • Mention any tests you wrote.
  4. Click "Create pull request".

Submission Checklist

If you have any questions please reach out to mmerlin@stevens.edu or ifarfand@stevens.edu. We also highly recommend attending this Thursday's (2/6) GBM in Babbio 320 at 9:15 P.M where we will cover a lot about pull requests and working effectively with git.

Designer Challenge

Task

For this project team challenge, you will design a homepage for a non-profit.

To access the full challenge template, click this Figma Link. The passcode is: bpdesignteam

Background Information
Requirements
Submission Guidelines

Please feel free to email Audrey (ayoo2@stevens.edu) and Sahana (sali19@stevens.edu) for any questions

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 2/16 11:59 P.M

Tips

Product Manager Challenge

Due 2/16/25 at 11:59 pm

Part 1: Improving the Boulder Blueprint Website

Objective:

As a prospective product manager, your task is to analyze the University of Colorado Boulder Blueprint Website, identify pain points, and propose solutions to enhance the user experience. You will demonstrate your ability to empathize with users, think critically, and communicate actionable solutions.

Step 1: Identify Pain Points

Explore the University of Colorado Boulder Blueprint website and identify 3-5 pain points that users (e.g., members, prospective members, or external stakeholders) might experience. Use the following definition to guide your analysis:

Pain Point: A persistent or recurring problem that frequently inconveniences or annoys users.

Examples of pain points to consider:

Step 2: Write User Stories

For each pain point, write a user story to articulate the problem from the perspective of the user. Use the following format:

As a [type of user], I want [specific goal], so that [reason or benefit].

Example:

Pain Point: Blueprint general members are not aware of what the organization does.

User Story: As a member of Blueprint, I want to be aware of the organization's current events and projects, so I can better understand the impact and activities the organization is involved in.

Step 3: Propose Solutions

For each user story, propose a solution that addresses the pain point. Your solution should be specific, actionable, and feasible. Consider the following when crafting your solutions:

Example:

Solution: Blueprint Newsletter: A weekly newsletter that details the events and progress of ongoing projects within Blueprint.

Your proposed solution could also be a redesinged portion of the website's user interface/user experience.

Part 2:

Share an example of a time you led a team. What specific actions did you take as a leader, and what outcomes or results did you achieve?


Submission:

To answer the questions, create your own copy of this document. Email a pdf of your answers to sit.blueprint@gmail.com and cc Lha1@stevens.edu by 2/16/25 at 11:59 pm. Email (or message in Discord) Lha1@stevens.edu for any questions regarding this challenge.