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Graduation Artifacts

This module's "exercises" are not practice problems. They are the final deliverables that ship as graduation artifacts. Each one is produced during this module and becomes part of the evidence you take out of the degree.

Each artifact has: a location, a completion standard, and a reviewer. Shipping all of them is what graduation looks like in this module.

Artifact 1: Capstone Case Study​

  • Location: library/raw/case-study.md in the capstone repo
  • Source: Practice 01 (Case Study Writing Lab)
  • Completion standard:
    • 1,500-2,500 words
    • Four load-bearing sections labeled (Problem, Approach, Outcome, Tradeoffs)
    • At least one load-bearing diagram with labeled edges
    • At least one peer has read it and given non-trivial feedback
  • Reviewer: one peer from the program + one external engineer if available

Artifact 2: Organized Portfolio Profile​

  • Location: GitHub profile README + 3-5 pinned repos
  • Source: Practice 02 (Portfolio Packaging Workshop)
  • Completion standard:
    • positioning sentence on profile README (no generic adjectives)
    • 3-5 repos pinned, each with a one-pager README and an honest scope disclosure
    • every pinned repo passes the craft audit (tests named by behavior, CI green, ≥1 ADR or runbook, meaningful recent commits)
  • Reviewer: one peer who has not previously seen the profile, given 5 minutes to describe "what kind of engineer is this"

Artifact 3: Per-Project One-Pager Template​

  • Location: library/raw/readme-template.md in your portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 2 concept 05 + Practice 02
  • Completion standard:
    • template file committed
    • every pinned repo's README instantiates the template
    • template includes an explicit "what is and is not implemented" section
  • Reviewer: self; verified by consistency check across pinned repos

Artifact 4: Technical Bio​

  • Location: profile README + personal site (if any)
  • Source: Cluster 3 concept 07
  • Completion standard:
    • ≤ 200 words
    • names domain, evidence (with link), and current direction
    • v1 (≤ 50 words) and v3 (≤ 100 words) versions retained for different contexts
    • voice matches the case study and the blog post
  • Reviewer: read aloud to yourself + one peer

Artifact 5: One Technical Blog Post​

  • Location: personal blog or publicly hosted post (with link from profile)
  • Source: Cluster 3 concept 08
  • Completion standard:
    • 800-1,500 words, following the post skeleton
    • tied to real capstone work, not a tutorial
    • three-pass edit applied, filler phrases removed
    • ships during the module window
  • Reviewer: one peer reads and confirms the post answers its one-paragraph summary

Artifact 6: Editing Before/After Pair​

  • Location: library/raw/writing/ in portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 3 concept 09
  • Completion standard:
    • one 150-200 word source paragraph
    • one edited version at ≤ 60% of original length
    • no information lost
  • Reviewer: self; double-check nothing material is missing

Artifact 7: Strength Grid + Specialization Rubric​

  • Location: library/raw/strength-grid.md in portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 4 concepts 10 and 12; Practice 03
  • Completion standard:
    • six-track strength grid filled with concrete artifacts
    • rubric filled across all 18 cells (6 tracks × 3 axes)
    • 150-200 word defense of the top pick against the runner-up
  • Reviewer: one peer or mentor who has challenged at least one cell

Artifact 8: 12-Month Learning Plan​

  • Location: library/raw/12-month-plan.md in portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 4 concept 12; Practice 03
  • Completion standard:
    • four quarterly objectives
    • four visible artifacts (repo, post, PR, case study extension) -- one per objective
    • review cadence stated (monthly self + quarterly peer)
    • first review date on a calendar
  • Reviewer: one mentor or senior peer

Artifact 9: Feynman Packet (Five Topics)​

  • Location: library/raw/feynman/ folder in portfolio repo (one file per topic)
  • Source: Cluster 5 concept 13; Practice 04 Kata 2
  • Completion standard:
    • five topics covering Semesters 2, 4/5, 6, 7/8, 9
    • each explanation uses the 4-part structure (plain-language opening, concrete example, visible tradeoff, failure mode)
    • each has been delivered aloud at least once
  • Reviewer: one peer per topic (can be the same peer for all five)

Artifact 10: Recorded 10-Minute Defense + Transcript​

  • Location: library/raw/defense/ folder in portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 5 concept 14; Practice 04 Kata 1
  • Completion standard:
    • recording of a 10-minute capstone defense to a live or mock panel
    • transcript (human or auto-generated, lightly cleaned)
    • three follow-up curveballs answered on recording
    • at least one gap surfaced by the defense has been closed by the graduation checkpoint
  • Reviewer: one senior peer or mentor

Artifact 11: Retrospective​

  • Location: library/raw/retrospective.md in portfolio repo
  • Source: Practice 04 Kata 4
  • Completion standard:
    • ≤ 500 words
    • two specific decisions you would redo, one keeper decision, one unexpected surprise
    • reads as a senior-engineer retrospective, not an apology
  • Reviewer: self + one peer

Artifact 12: Honest Gap List​

  • Location: library/raw/gaps.md in portfolio repo
  • Source: Cluster 5 concept 15; Practice 03
  • Completion standard:
    • 3-5 entries using the three-part structure (gap / why it matters for chosen track / first concrete step)
    • no entries that are topic areas rather than specific gaps
    • revisit date on the calendar for 6 months post-graduation
  • Reviewer: one mentor challenges at least one entry

Completion Checklist​

  • All 12 artifacts produced at the specified locations
  • Each artifact has been reviewed by its named reviewer
  • The 10-minute defense has been delivered live at least once
  • The 12-month plan and gap list are on calendar for 6-month revisit
  • All four Practice page Evidence Checks are ticked

Producing all twelve is the graduation condition for Module 5.