TKMaxx
Jan 2016 - Jul 2016
Lead front end developer
TKMaxx were refreshing their global site to a new Hybris environment. My main role was to setup the front end environment, lead the front end team and create some of the new components. As well as advise various in-house teams on integration and running Hybris.
It’s always nice to start a project from Discovery phase 1, to get a full picture of requirements and to see the project grow right from the start.
Get new front end environment up and running within Hybris, using gulp and git
TKMaxx were switching to the Hybris system. For discovery and sprint 1, I had to set up the front end environment using Gulp as the task runner and Git as version control within Hybris Accelerator. This was my first time to set everything up myself. A daunting, But enjoyable task.
Challenges
It was quite challenging to get Gulp and Git to work perfectly for both macOS and Windows users. Also, quite a challenge getting server settings working for both.
Proudest of
Learning new skills and I have to admit the server setup for running Gulp and Git within Hybris tested my patience a bit. But very pleased it all ended up running smoothly for all the front end team, as well as the backend team when they needed it.
Co-ordinate front end team tasks & write a front end best practices document
Every morning before our daily scrums my regular task was to check Jira and the backend team, then delegate tasks to the front end team. I then led the daily scrums. I also wrote a general front end best practices document so the code and the look would be consistent throughout. It was a team effort, so any new suggestions and edits were added regularily.
Challenges
Making sure the tasks that were delegated to the front end team matched their skillsets and answering a lot of technical questions. The important thing was not to overload any of the team. The best practices document was a team effort, and a cross-department one, so there were a lot of meetings and discussions and changes made.
Proudest of
Sprints were completed in time for all Jira tasks. The team wasn't overloaded with work. The front end best practices was used by all departments for a visual guide to every component and piece of content.
Create new components within Hybris
I created various new components for the new Hybris site: the homepage hero component and the Listing page's hero component, footer layout, header icons. I also helped out with global bug fixing when the teams workload was too much.
Challenges
The only real challenge was getting the components just right for the design and marketing team.
Proudest of
The hero component was slightly more complex than the usual, as it had multiple layers, so was really happy with the way it turned out in the end.
