Strategic Plan

Table of Contents

Project Goals

  • Replace manual spreadsheet-based workflows with an automated, self-hosted platform
  • Automate peer review assignment and feedback collection to reduce instructor workload
  • Integrate with existing university systems (Google Drive and Moodle) for seamless file and grade management
  • Provide structured clarity and transparency in the grading and peer review process
  • Create a lightweight, privacy-respecting platform that complies with university data policies

Threshold of Success

By the end of the course, deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that:

✅ Authentication & Access Control

  • Specific: Implement role-based authentication system supporting instructors and students
  • Measurable: System successfully authenticates users and enforces role-based permissions for all dashboard features
  • Achievable: Use secure session-based authentication without requiring complex SSO integration initially
  • Relevant: Essential for protecting sensitive grade data and providing appropriate interfaces per user type
  • Time-bound: Complete authentication system deployed by end of Sprint 3

✅ Instructor Dashboard

  • Specific: Provide comprehensive dashboard for instructors to manage teams, grades, and review assignments
  • Measurable: Instructors can perform all key operations: view team lists, manage grades, assign reviews within 3 clicks
  • Achievable: Build on standard web framework components with focused feature set
  • Relevant: Replaces spreadsheet manual management with automated, structured interface
  • Time-bound: Core dashboard functionality operational by end of Sprint 4

✅ Student Dashboard

  • Specific: Deliver student-facing interface for viewing grades and review assignments
  • Measurable: Students can access personal grades, team information, and review tasks within 10 seconds of login
  • Achievable: Limited scope focusing on read-only operations and simple submissions
  • Relevant: Provides transparency and clear guidance on peer review responsibilities
  • Time-bound: Student portal deployed and tested by end of Sprint 5

✅ Peer Review Automation

  • Specific: Automate peer review matching using configurable algorithms (cyclic/randomized)
  • Measurable: System generates review assignments for 50+ students in under 30 seconds with zero manual intervention
  • Achievable: Implement proven assignment algorithms rather than developing novel approaches
  • Relevant: Eliminates most time-consuming manual process in current workflow
  • Time-bound: Automated matching feature complete by end of Sprint 6

✅ Moodle Grade Export

  • Specific: Export grades in Moodle-compatible CSV format matching institutional requirements
  • Measurable: Generated CSV files import successfully into Moodle without manual reformatting for 100% of test cases
  • Achievable: Follow documented Moodle CSV specifications with rigorous format validation
  • Relevant: Enables seamless integration with existing university grading workflow
  • Time-bound: Export feature complete and validated by end of Sprint 7

✅ Self-Hosted Deployment

  • Specific: Support Docker-based deployment for university IT infrastructure
  • Measurable: System runs successfully in Docker containers with all core features functional in isolated environment
  • Achievable: Containerize existing web application stack without requiring complex orchestration
  • Relevant: Meets university data privacy and infrastructure requirements
  • Time-bound: Docker configuration and deployment documentation ready by end of Sprint 8

✅ Core Spreadsheet Parity

  • Specific: Provide equivalent functionality to current spreadsheet solution with enhanced usability
  • Measurable: All data management operations currently performed in spreadsheets can be completed in PeerPilot with equal or better efficiency
  • Achievable: Focus on replicating proven workflows rather than reinventing processes
  • Relevant: Ensures smooth transition from existing system while delivering tangible improvements
  • Time-bound: Feature parity demonstrated in user acceptance testing by final delivery

Feature Roadmap

✅ Completed

  • Market research and competitive analysis
  • Customer interviews and requirements gathering
  • Project setup and repository organization
  • Initial architecture planning

🔄 In Progress

  • UI/UX design in Figma
  • Technical architecture specification
  • Quality requirements documentation
  • Tech stack selection

⏳ Planned (MVP Features)

  • User login with role-based access (students, instructors)
  • Instructor dashboard to view and manage team grades, submissions, and reviews
  • Student dashboard to view personal and team grades, who to review, and link to review submission
  • Automate peer review matching using cyclic or randomized strategies
  • Upload peer review feedback as PDF files
  • Export final grades in a Moodle-compatible format
  • Self-hosted deployment via Docker

🔮 Future Features

  • Fetch assignment PDFs automatically from Google Drive
  • PDF viewer with inline commenting for instructors
  • Integration with Moodle API (automated grade sync, file transfer)
  • Sign on via Innopolis University accounts
  • Notifications or reminders for late submissions or missing reviews

Progress Monitoring

  • Weekly Sprint Reviews: Conduct team sync-ups to review burn-down charts and velocity in GitHub Projects
  • Bi-weekly Customer Meetings: Validate features with the customer, adjust priorities based on feedback
  • Continuous Integration: Automated testing and deployment to staging environment for early validation
  • Definition of Done: Each feature must pass code review, automated tests, and meet acceptance criteria
  • Milestone Tracking: Track progress against the feature roadmap with clear completion criteria

Contingency Plans

  • Complex Feature Reduction: If Moodle API integration proves too complex, fall back to manual CSV export/import functionality
  • UI Simplification: If UI development lags, implement a basic Bootstrap-based interface instead of custom designs
  • Team Capacity Issues: If team capacity is reduced, focus exclusively on core MVP features and defer enhancements
  • Technical Challenges: If self-hosting proves difficult, provide clear deployment documentation for IT support
  • Scope Creep Management: Regularly reassess priorities with customer to ensure MVP remains achievable within timeline