How to Build a Dynamic Code Team Skill Assessment Platform

Simple Summary

A comprehensive Code Team Skill Assessment Tool to evaluate and track developer competencies, enhancing team productivity and project management.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals:

• Develop a user-friendly platform for assessing and tracking coding skills
• Enable project managers to optimize team composition based on skill assessments
• Provide insights into team strengths and areas for improvement

Target Audience:

• Project managers
• Team leads
• HR professionals in tech companies

Key Features:

1. User registration and profile management
2. Project and task creation
3. Skill matrix customization
4. Automated skill assessments
5. Collaboration tools
6. Real-time notifications
7. Analytics dashboard
8. Data export functionality

User Requirements:

• Intuitive interface for creating and managing projects
• Ability to define custom skill sets for different roles
• Automated assessment tools with code challenges
• Visual representation of team skills and progress
• Collaboration features for team members
• Exportable reports for stakeholders

User Flows

1. User Registration and Onboarding:

   • User signs up
   • Completes profile with skills and experience
   • Joins or creates a team

2. Project Creation and Skill Assessment:

   • Manager creates a new project
   • Defines required skills for the project
   • Assigns team members
   • Initiates skill assessment for team

3. Skill Improvement Tracking:

   • User completes assigned coding challenges
   • System updates skill proficiency levels
   • Manager reviews progress and provides feedback

Technical Specifications

Frontend:

• React for building the user interface
• Redux for state management
• Material-UI for consistent design components

Backend:

• Node.js with Express.js for API development
• PostgreSQL for relational data storage
• Redis for caching and session management

APIs and Services:

• OAuth for authentication
• SendGrid for email notifications
• AWS S3 for file storage
• GitHub API for code repository integration

Testing:

• Jest for unit and integration testing
• Cypress for end-to-end testing

API Endpoints

• POST /api/auth/register
• POST /api/auth/login
• GET /api/projects
• POST /api/projects
• GET /api/projects/:id/tasks
• POST /api/projects/:id/tasks
• GET /api/users/:id/skills
• PUT /api/users/:id/skills
• GET /api/analytics/team/:id
• POST /api/assessments/start
• GET /api/notifications

Database Schema

Users:

• id (PK)
• username
• email
• password_hash
• role

Projects:

• id (PK)
• name
• description
• manager_id (FK to Users)

Tasks:

• id (PK)
• project_id (FK to Projects)
• title
• description
• assigned_to (FK to Users)
• status

Skills:

• id (PK)
• name
• category

UserSkills:

• user_id (FK to Users)
• skill_id (FK to Skills)
• proficiency_level

Assessments:

• id (PK)
• user_id (FK to Users)
• skill_id (FK to Skills)
• score
• date_taken

File Structure

Implementation Plan

1. Project Setup (1 week)

   • Initialize React project with Create React App
   • Set up Node.js backend with Express
   • Configure PostgreSQL database
   • Implement basic project structure

2. Authentication and User Management (1 week)

   • Implement user registration and login
   • Set up OAuth integration
   • Create user profile management

3. Core Features Development (3 weeks)

   • Build project and task management functionality
   • Develop skill matrix and assessment system
   • Implement collaboration tools

4. API and Database Integration (2 weeks)

   • Develop and test all API endpoints
   • Implement database queries and operations
   • Set up data validation and error handling

5. Frontend Development (2 weeks)

   • Create responsive UI components
   • Implement state management with Redux
   • Develop analytics dashboard

6. Testing and Quality Assurance (2 weeks)

   • Write and run unit tests
   • Perform integration testing
   • Conduct end-to-end testing with Cypress

7. Deployment Preparation (1 week)

   • Set up CI/CD pipeline
   • Configure production environment
   • Perform security audits

8. Launch and Monitoring (1 week)

   • Deploy to production
   • Set up monitoring and logging
   • Gather initial user feedback

Deployment Strategy

1. Choose a cloud provider (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, or Heroku)
2. Set up a managed PostgreSQL database service
3. Configure environment variables for sensitive information
4. Use Docker for containerization of the application
5. Implement a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions or GitLab CI
6. Set up auto-scaling for the backend services
7. Use a CDN for static asset delivery
8. Implement SSL/TLS encryption for all communications
9. Set up regular database backups
10. Configure monitoring and alerting using tools like Prometheus and Grafana

Design Rationale

• React and Node.js were chosen for their robust ecosystem and developer productivity
• PostgreSQL provides strong data integrity and supports complex queries needed for skill assessments
• Redis is used for caching to improve performance of frequently accessed data
• Material-UI ensures a consistent and professional look while speeding up development
• The modular file structure allows for easy scaling and maintenance of the codebase
• Automated testing at multiple levels ensures reliability and easier updates
• The deployment strategy focuses on scalability and security, crucial for handling sensitive skill assessment data