May 2020 - All-PM daily stand up notes

Owned by Brad Peters
Last updated: Jun 02, 2020
14 min read

May 2020

Friday May 29

  • Lots of meeting conflicts, attendance was low.

  • Brad, Jennifer, and Emily touched base about project organization.

  • John

    • Emailed docs to identify people participating in the privacy research team and a machine learning team as well.

    • Follow-up meetings with the above teams on Monday or Tuesday, depending on availability.

Thursday May 28

  • Welcome Brad Peters, PM/UX internet from U Mich School of Information

MVP1 review

  • spreadsheet / Jira board

  • updated color coding

  • for red items it’s unclear where they stand

  • quick review of red items on the call

  • Kyle: Have we figured out chunking of features for test?

    • Jen: yes, sync with Diarmid et al., plan in process (need to solve how to test before full flow is available). also need to test Safe Places UI (incl. login, onboarding & CRUD), all using mock endpoints for now, plug into actual endpoints next week when available

    • Kyle: was envisioning:

      • date 1: release tickets xyz to testing

      • date 2 release further tickets to testing

      • etc.

    • Jen: MVP16 & 11 available for partial testing, two of the biggest epics, but dependent on API endpoints (as mentioned above). Kyle: We need a written down version of this, even if simple. Jen: Shared in testing channel. Emily: Sounds like you need a release-and-testing roadmap. Kyle can suggest format.

  • Vince: Guam wants to bring 10 devs next week to blitz things. (React native guys.) Full time for one week! (I know you’re going to give us the easy stuff. ). Kyle: Sam can help make sure we deploy folks most effectively. University is now all engaged. May have more $$ available. Likely to replace MapBox with OpenLayers (because open source). Vince to share priorities around next phase (“Mercury”).

Wednesday May 27

  • Welcome Omar - Jira admin. Emily will help

  • Update on MVP1 dates - New deadline is June 8 (not holding up code-complete work – testing has already started and/or will start by June 1). If you’re working on part of MVP1, touch base with the devs and designers involved. Make sure they have what they need and they’re not waiting on you to finalize any specs.

  • New PMs, still a good idea to review the MVP1 backlog <= new source of truth (we need to start deprecating the spreadsheet).

  • Vince: for our team, working with the Jira board not obvious or trivial, even with github it’s not clear how to get pull requests into the repo. Went ahead and started working on https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/browse/SAF-278 and https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/browse/SAF-388

  • DC: Question, I am getting asked to demo the new web app dashboard. Is there status on when it will be ready for public display? (Actual vs. @adam laskowitz's Figma prototype).

  • Right after this scrum with all devs working on MVP1, will lead to further updates to the Jira board.

  • @adam laskowitz - blocked re setting of exposure notifications from a health authority. @Kyle Towle says this is in scope (or other@Kyle Towle) - may need to discuss if this can stay in MVP1 or has to go into [NEXT RELEASE NAME NEEDED]. Vince says main issue brought up so far is how many hours in the exposure history. There are other issues as well. @Diarmid Mackenzie / @Diarmid Mackenzie (Unlicensed) has a detailed spec on this. Not enough detail to understand what the interaction needs to look like. Which (or all) of these specs are relevant?:

  • Need to groom backlog for next release theme and manage roadmap expectations from org leadership and other stakeholders.

Tuesday May 26

  • Welcome new PMs Saachin & Marc & Cody

  • Ranna - (1) Covi-ID call (South Africa), a “verbal integration spec” for their operational use case. Covi-ID generates a QR code for each person (to overcome low smart code penetration). Locations you visit scan your QR code to build the Covi-ID database. They don’t have an end-to-end… (i lost connection) … (2) how the GAEN app will deal with positive status (confirmed by HA), consent to give identifier beacon to HA when they have positive status. Legal/privacy issues with platform

  • John - had a good talk with Abhishek. Identified two primary components to prioritize. Exploring future/better privacy concerns related to GPS, second related to data science to improve “markability” of safe places. Suggestion: setting up an initial open request for volunteers. People who have worked with GPS apps privacy in the past, organize a call around these two items. Not critical-path for MVP. Initial research phase to start this week and run through June 8 or so.

    • Jennifer - comment re Jira improvements: as John and Abhishek get further along, closer to a functional spec, how best to represent in jira, decompose into user storeis.

  • Vince - gov’t just announced another contact tracer project? blocker is spending a lot of time helping the government with grants (example getting beta testers at university, university focused on grants for bundled contact tracing apps). Do need some clarification re a Jira ticket that may be misfiled, checked in with Jennifer (will follow up off-line).

  • Jennifer: MVP1 has 3.5 days of dev time to hit June 1 (code complete and ready for test) deadline.

    • Next week eng+test resolve issues (incl. privacy & security)

    • Tracking via MVP1 spreadsheet status tab

    • One red item, publisher tool design

    • At risk of not making June 1 deadline, despite majority of items marked as green (only two are actually completed)

Monday May 25

  • Emily - today identify items that don’t have tasks or

  • Prajwal - update after sync with Rob (division of labor, ability to leverage existing video) - real need is to create script to frame scenario for video Rob can deliver. Comfortable sorting out the workflow steps, guidance from Jaya’s document.

Friday May 22

Spectra’s research deck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1f-mnvhisOtyJ5jgxYKZ0mCzLqZcqHvw9V3utGGQdbCc/edit?usp=sharing

  • Jennifer zeroing in on the API spec with developers

  • Emily made an MVP sprint: https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/secure/RapidBoard.jspa?rapidView=22&sprint=35 - grooming session today should make it clear who is working toward what and identify the gaps. Half of the items in the spreadsheet may not be in Jira. By Monday we’ll have a better view of how much is remaining and how much has been down.

  • Vince - last night tech alliance meeting across multiple jurisdictions, a lot of states talking about spending the money, need to commit by June 1. Guam is doing a fork with contact tracing apps for community, schools, and tourism. This is a survival issue we’re unified about.

  • Adam - backfilling yesterday, HA configurable settings (data retention policy, privacy policy link, expose threshold settings for notifications). We no longer load from a local file from MVP1 - drove small changes to the starting flows for this. Supporting the MVP for the next couple of days with Rocket front-end folks. Clustering of like locations, multi-select for a publisher (load multiple records at a time for a publisher to publish not doable for an MVP1).

  • Shrix - feedback on location related paper by Ranna, answering developers with issues they had. Trying to help on the communication front.

  • Brian - (swamped with new project at work) - can support the MVP, tracking. To clarify for Adam - yes he found the exposure threshold spec.

  • John - getting general idea of where and what I’m supposed to be doing, for post-MVP. Doing preliminary research, will ask questions in slack channels, building up mental model of what needs to b done after MVP1. Requests: Would like to attend the grooming session as a listener, to attend tech alliance. Met with Emily and can create new board for “beta” (next/ post MVP).

  • Welcome Cody Cowan (starting today) - lead product at Healthline (a media company that focuses on health) very focused on all things COVID recently. In NYC, worked at Postlight. Mobile, API, media and culture.

Thursday May 21

  • Rob: deep dive into tech webinar topic

  • xian: we haven’t submitted PathCheck BT, waiting for copy review, Spectra is presenting research she and Marissa did re mobile users and their attitudes toward contact tracing, trust, privacy, etc.

  • @Ranna Zhou : GAEN MVP end-to-end sharing flow blocked by needing a dedicated design resource, have agreemet on API spec. Self-assessment self-reporting flow for MVP. Attended Teton call to get feedback on self-reporting (interest but not a lot of new insight), chatted with Kyle discussing theme of next milestone: “the HA-free experience” (making sure there is initial value on install of mobile app)

  • Jen (from Rocket) - wearing a project management hat for this engagement with a dozen Rocket (and three Thoughtbot) engineers, working with Emily to organize, tag-teaming with Emily on MVP1, and working on Aurora, attended Guam call yesterday: covered GPS mvp app, learned a bit about how they would like to get an auth code (test-authorization capability) vs. relying on symptom survey to the user when they test positive in Aurora),

  • Emily (from Rocket) - MVP vs post-MVP… can’t see what’s in progress. Create a new board to check the status for the MVP1 (June 1) initiative.

  • Prajwal - synced with Jonathon re generating video from current code. Need to check with Rob re demo of Safe Places which may be part of the Saturday webinar.

Wednesday May 20

MVP 1 Status

  • feels much better after a day of grooming sessions with Rocket folks

  • use the tracking doc as the source of truth (we’re adding a column to the product tab to link directly to relevant Jira tickets), help keep status tab up to date with progress.

Roadmap post MVP

  • Add themes to product architecture

  • Theme for MVP1 was “viable product”

  • Next theme is “the HA-free experience” (how the mobile app can be valuable even in the absence of a Safe Places service from a local health authority

Scrum updates

Tuesday May 19

  • Kyle: We need a step in our dev process, a PRD review with dev/tech lead. Every PM and dev team have slightly different ability to interoperate. (Product folks can be more or less technical, engineers can be more or less product-y). Add it to our process. All MVP1 items need leads assigned.

  • Prajwal: SPL onboarding task – how far did Jaya get it. Is it primarily a demo video showing setup and use, interview or redaction. Touch base with Rob Brink re existing video assets and harness.

  • Vince: nothing fresh - going over design with Adam today - Kyle has question about setting up a call re Careban(?) CEO meeting on wearables.

  • Adam - completed SPL prototype yesterday - https://www.figma.com/proto/MlHKMJ02695qR2wsPByHCr/PLACES-April-2020?node-id=673%3A11552&viewport=3498%2C22%2C0.5215712189674377&scaling=scale-down. - will meet with Vince tonight US time -

  • Rob - request - looking for a someone to do a deep dive into the technology in our next webinar and looking for product guidance on this. To discuss with Kyle.

  •  

Monday May 18

  • Kyle:

    • Teton County has gone public with their adoption of Safe Places (we should add them to the store listing for iOS).

    • Vince, feedback on MVP1 UI & UX. (Teton county feedback coming too.) Adam needs to get looped in.

    • New meeting series to focus on tourism.

  • Vince:

    • Biggest thing right now is the Tourism app. Guam is in the top 10 of US destinations for international travelers, more than 40 of the states. Tourism is pivotal to the local economy. It affects a lot of islands and Guam is functioning as a sort of hub. Aggressively pursuing this, international travel activity, especially in the Asian countries.

    • Guam has flattened the curve really well, so the need is to balance the need to reopen for tourism while keeping islanders safe from potentially contagious foreigners.

    • We really need to get to a beta so we can learn from contact tracers in usability testing & using the product live in the field.

  • Prajwal: Onboarded this past week, met with Yasi on Friday. Will be joining calls and providing support. Will connect with Kyle et al. today. Nothing blocking right now.

  • Adam L: Friday updated placeholder UI ticket, accounting for the core user stories, needs to review a question with Kyle. A few edge-case screens still needed. Next steps: need to figure out the best way to define scope.

  • John K: Onboarded this past week, brief chat with Ranna, background in search technology (particularly solar and elastic), second is through Voyager Search, a GIS/mapping product, sold to govt/classified, (likely to take on algo/mapping/privacy/security PM role we need to fill).

  • DC - glad to see how are getting our selves in gear, representing that to the implementation folks, and helping keep expectations in line both ways.

weekend May 16-17

  • no realtime meetings over the weekend

  • please post scrum updates, if any, in the #fn_pm channel

  • Plan to review all MVP items in weekly meeting on Monday.

Friday May 15

Recruiting

  • We need more product managers, in particular a lead for algorithms, privacy, security

  • We need project managers! Please spread the word.

Newly Joined and Not Sure What to Work On?

We are racing toward a June 1 pilot launch date with seven partners health authorities and still need to get some requirements docs, specs, and user stories written (see the list of top items in the linked spreadsheet). If you’re not sure what to work on, ask @Kyle Towle for the most urgent PM spec tasks pending, or me (@Christian Crumlish).

What is Our Preferred Workflow?

  • Shrix is fielding a lot of questions about what but also how we do our work. xian says it’s kind of agilefall right now

  • Principles:

    • small, incremental deliverable docs, review

      • just as you do with code and code reviews

    • separation of concerns

      • everyone involved in discussion planning review

      • clear ownership of decision making at critical steps (example: testing gives feedback to product vs. general tire-kicking by all)

  • Shrix’s proposal:

Could this be as a simple process, w/ respective deliverables at each stage for us?Simple process ...
    Research  ->  Requirements  ->  Designing  ->  Implementation  ->  Testing  ->  Evaluation Stakeholders ...
    Res/Prod        Des/Prod               Dev                  Dev                            Test/Des     ProdDeliverables ...
    Paper/Talk.      Reqs doc                   Design doc        Code                             Scripts          Rel-report
                              Wireframes                                          Code-review               Test-rep.
                              Jira Story                                              Code-updates            Merge

Note

A last-minute google / apple / MIT bluetooth meeting, so we cut the meeting short after a quick update

Scrum updates

  • @Christian Crumlish had to skip this meeting yesterday for a product / rollout sync that helped clarify the gap in understanding & communication between the two teams and, with a followup meeting to review the specific technical issues we are addressing for June, went a long way toward getting both teams speaking the same language and heading into alignment. Otherwise mostly monitoring the mobile app 1.0.x release effort, putting in place a content governance process, working with Kyle on how to make a unified scrum, and trying to make sure that (1) all PMs are finding things to work on and (2) the most critical June 1 items are fully specced.

  •  

 

Thursday May 14

  • @Christian Crumlish synced with Lee re legal requirements for copy (and content governance going forward) in the product, met Kim (new People lead), Jeff (new Product Marketing lead), synced with Adam B. (new overlord), synced with Ranna and Kyle on process / workflow frictions. Today, in rollout meeting, help get updated mobile app out with acceptable copy (and no false positives without data), random smoke-jumping. Blockers: conflicting time commitments today, tired brain.

  • @Brian Ng (Unlicensed) finalize PRD for https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/browse/PLACES-41 ; syncing w/ @adam laskowitz today to help document the work he and engineers will start on in JIRA

Wednesday May 13

  • Kyle raised topic of having a single PM standup and one Jira. Let’s discuss this in channel, as well as specs, requorement

  • @Kyle Towle New PRDs that require cross-coordination (intersection, data exchange) - @David Ganzi (Unlicensed) or @Elvira Dzhuraeva (Deactivated) need to make sure Safe Places team review these (Kyle/xian to discuss easy ways to close these loops-- missing scrum masters).

  • @Former user (Deleted) - re entitlements, trying to get the govt to tell me who the contact is going to be (concerned about Apple’s timeliness) - can make sure that’s done tomorrow. Doing a checklist tomorrow with all the developers (2.5 weeks countdown). Try to notice gaps in the design. Comfortable with the schedule.

  • @Sherif Kozman shadowing Kyle, sync with Safe Places, HAs

  • @Brian Ng (Unlicensed) pulling together PRD re configuring retention policy, autodelete

  • @adam laskowitz yesterday finalizing reviewing feedback for first round of Safe Places designs, today to review Vince’s followup to questions, some updates in flight, posted in a safe places channel, finishing that today. Will try to get to the settings page. Turning designs into Jira issues. Likely via direct discussion with @Pedro Cruz and @Satoshi Kawase. Looking at Kyle’s PRD to see if any implications (mostly a new setup / settings / config option).

  • DC - listening in, syncing with Kyle on some project gaps (between engagement team expectations and MVP-1).

  • We need a defined / final list of countries and languages for the MVP-1 release.

    • what is the governance for this (content strategists)?

    • loop in Alpita Masurkar from the translation effort (also @Tim Stirrat has set up Lokalise)

  • Sherif question re Egypt outreach, when are we ready to engage with them and can Sherif’s existing business relationships with the government help with that. Kyle’s advice is to reach out to Jenny Ro with any such leads.

Tuesday May 12

  • @Kyle Towle - met with Delaware, new concept of giving HA’s control over sensitivity variables - discussing whether and to what extent to “blur” GPS (Places would store the real data but publish blurred geohashed data). HA’s generally don’t love GPS-based proximity. “You may have been exposed.” Blockers - need all MVP-1 product specs started (make sure PM load is balanced). Last four days aware of other products in our ecosystem (self-assessment / self-reporting, for example), need to corral all these initiatives into a single framework (GM, maybe Pepsi, early bluetooth technology). Employer solutions help with adoption of the app.

  • @Former user (Deleted) - very interested in employer solutions. looked at Adam’s mockup and made some feedback contributions

  • @Ranna Zhou - caught up with @adam laskowitz - design focused on secure end-to-end transmission of location data, Adam needs a partner to help with the safe paths side of this spec. Other two specs for MVP-1. Concerned about scope of some MVP-1 items.

  • @adam laskowitz - more focused on Safe Places than most people think (not so much looking across the whole ecosystem yet), synthesizing feedback from the Loom video that Adam shared. Feedback is revealing a gap (or drift) in assumptions potentially from the HA point of view and the baseline demo. Concern re potential scope creep.

    • Kyle notes contact tracing is done in multiple ways. Initial demo model informed by KC and Mayo. Digital augmented contact tracing – we’re inventing it. (South Korea did it, but also had put in place laws that set aside privacy in these situations.)

    • Vince notes that his feedback relates to ways Guam may wish to extend or elaborate on the core functionality.

  • @Former user (Deleted) announcing the webinar theme this week will be “Best Practices for Contact Tracing”

  • @David Ganzi (Unlicensed)

    • Input some additional focus areas to MVP1 doc

    • Want to sync today with Ali + Elvira on above MVP1 focus areas

    • Hoping to get Product Specs fleshed out

    • Sprint planning later today, emphasis on cleaning up 1.1 + urgent issues

    • Checking in with volunteers who are making the product status GDoc

Monday May 11

  • DC - primary contact on tech/sales/demos with HAs, companies, employers. Need for PMs in many of these calls. Need a calendar of availability (@xian to take this)

  • @Kyle Towle - meeting with Delaware, 3-week countdown to June 1, MVP-1 locked down, features needed for MVP-1 all have a product owner, slack channel for cross mobile/places efforts, design work going well, Kyle can help route tech input on those designs

  • @Sam Zimmerman - touched base with @David Ganzi (Unlicensed) re Safe Paths re design/UI goals for MVP-1, recruited scrum master-in-training, now have support person on Zendesk (4hrs/day)

  • @Ranna Zhou - spec out for review (comments from @Sam Zimmerman & @Kyle Towle needed), working with @adam laskowitz re design implications, need dev resources, on-track

  • @Christian Crumlish - disentangling privacy statement in/for app issues

  • @Jorge Ramos (Deactivated) - in Puerto Rico, have engineers for API and front end, app dev, finding out where we’re at

  • @Former user (Deleted) - lead the development effort for Guam, web side and front end, also deal with the gov’t, information about the privacy statement (@xian to keep in the loop on this) – also thinking about the feature phone solutions, many of the stores have bluetooth beacons, need solutions for underserved communities (@Kyle Towle notes privacy/efficacy issues around blurring)

  • @adam laskowitz - product designer, somewhat PMing designs for Safe Places…

  • @Brian Ng (Unlicensed) - added more thoughts here https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/browse/PLACES-41?focusedCommentId=10585 think it’s mostly settled on what we want to do (e.g. default to 14, configurable in Settings via Admin user)? Beginning to talk about how to actually delete redacted trails. Blockers are a) there’s no ticket for this in MVP1 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VTSnUOrfKBKXLkButvZ4B8MJzfV8gw-4JYv4lkG6XHA/edit#gid=0 and b) not sure best way to engage devs as Kyle suggests here https://pathcheck.atlassian.net/browse/PLACES-41?focusedCommentId=10591

[Around this point I temporarily lost broadband – please post scrum updates directly if you missed the meeting or contributed when I was unable to take notes.]