For organizations that work remotely, sprints are great way to reunite, recalibrate and regroup to usher in new enthusiasm in the work and to keep up the motivation.
Exactly a year ago, Project Sashakt was still being conceptualized and prepared for development. Today, a year later, it has not only been developed but also launched, implemented, and tested in real-world settings with more than 25,000 users in the field.
It is at this very crucial milestone, that the sprint at Neembadi Learning Center at Ahmedabad proved to be a perfect pause point for the Sashakt team to regroup, introspect and reflect on the lessons learnt over the past year. The sprint also gave the team an opportunity to co-work, reflect on decisions made so far, and dive into the nitty-gritty of the project.
Neembadi Learning Centre, Ahmedabad
Attending a in person event increases the chances of ‘serendipity engineering’. When you bump into colleagues over tea or during a walk, connections deepen, genuine questions surface, and curiosity flows more freely.
“So why Sashakt?” one colleague asked. “We already have so many assessment tools in the open domain. What’s its USP?”
It’s a fair question. While there are many assessment platforms available, according to me, Sashakt stands out as a dedicated, open-source, and extensible solution built primarily to support non-profit organizations and government agencies. Its ability to conduct assessments at scale—without being limited to a specific domain—is what truly differentiates it. And of course, we can always deep dive into its structure.
Interactions with the leadership team were particularly introspective. Over breakfast with Erica and Lobo, we discussed how Sashakt could now reach a wider network of non-profit partners and help address their assessment-related pain points.
“Since our solution has already been used by over 25,000 users, can we start reaching out to more organizations that might benefit from it?” Erica asked. The answer was a resounding yes.
So in the sprint itself, we drafted an initial pitch and began reaching out virtually to non-profits to understand whether Sashakt aligned with their needs. Ashana helped amplify our outreach, and within hours we were in conversation with the iDream Foundation—exploring how Sashakt could help them conduct exams and quizzes for their students.
One of the most memorable moments for me was our interaction with the FCxO team. Apeksha and I walked everyone through a detailed demo, with participants taking quizzes live on their mobile phones. “Now that I’ve submitted the test, can I see my marks on the dashboard immediately?” Antony asked – a perfectly valid question.
Sashakt Demo and Interaction with FCxO Team
Drawing from their years of experience, the FCxO team helped us reflect deeply on our design decisions. From dashboard strategy to supporting user registration for verified candidates, their feedback gave us plenty of ideas and directions to take back with us.
Well , and how can sprint end without a bit of fun and a bit of food. The gala night ended with all the teams coming together for Garba and lip smacking dishes.
A Glimpse of Neembadi Learning Center,Ahmedabad
