Leveraging AI to Successfully Complete a Nationwide Survey App

As a Project Manager and App Developer, the journey to create a nationwide survey app has been a remarkable experience filled with challenges, learning, and immense satisfaction. Today, I want to share how AI, particularly ChatGPT, played a pivotal role in the successful completion of this project.

The Challenge

The nationwide survey app required a robust mobile application to collect and manage survey data efficiently. Our goals were ambitious: to create a user-friendly, reliable, and secure app that could function seamlessly across various devices and environments. As the Project Manager and lead developer, I was responsible for ensuring the app met all functional and non-functional requirements while adhering to tight deadlines.

The Role of ChatGPT

During the development of the survey app, I leveraged ChatGPT extensively. Here’s how this powerful AI tool helped me at different stages of the project:

Requirements Gathering and Documentation:

• ChatGPT assisted in drafting the Software Requirements Specification (SRS) document. It helped outline functional and non-functional requirements, ensuring no critical aspect was overlooked.
• The AI provided clarity on complex terminology and industry standards, which was crucial for creating comprehensive and understandable documentation.
• Additionally, it helped generate the Software Design Document (SDD) and various reports needed throughout the project.

Development and Problem Solving:

• For this app, I used Flutter with GetX state management. As an expert in Java/Kotlin, using GetX was initially a challenge, but ChatGPT guided me nicely. Thanks to its support, the app rolled out without a single crash, even with 600 daily users.
• The AI was invaluable for troubleshooting and debugging, offering solutions and alternative approaches to complex problems.
• ChatGPT provided insights into best practices for coding, enhancing the overall quality and performance of the app.

Data Management and Storage:

• We used Microsoft Azure and Firebase for data management and storage. ChatGPT helped me implement .gz compression, ensuring superb feature functionality.
• The AI facilitated an easy switch of data sources by guiding me to change only a few lines of code, making the process seamless.

Offline and Online Sync:

• One of the major challenges was ensuring offline and online sync within the device. The survey questions were not linear, with some being nested with single, multiple-choice, dropdown, simple text, or digit inputs. Some sections even had to be created dynamically based on user input.
• Without ChatGPT, it would have been impossible to write error-free, scalable code to handle all these situations effectively.

Data Export from Admin:

• ChatGPT assisted in writing Python code to export data from JSON to Excel/xlsx format. With more than 500 columns, this task was complex, but GPT helped manage it nicely.

Key Learnings

The journey was not without its challenges, but each obstacle presented an opportunity to learn and grow. Here are some key takeaways:

• Embrace Technology: Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly enhance productivity and efficiency, especially in complex projects.
• Continuous Learning: The field of technology is ever-evolving. Staying updated with the latest tools and practices is crucial for success.
• Collaboration and Communication: Clear and consistent communication with the team and stakeholders is vital. AI can aid in ensuring that information is accurate and well-presented.

Conclusion

Completing the nationwide survey app project has been a rewarding experience. The app is now ready to facilitate efficient and accurate data collection, thanks in large part to the tremendous help from ChatGPT. This experience has reinforced my belief in the potential of AI to transform project management and software development.

I am excited about the future and look forward to leveraging AI in upcoming projects. If anyone needs support as a project manager and/or mobile app developer, I am always here to help.

Thank you for reading, and I am always open to discussing more about this journey and sharing insights. Feel free to connect and reach out!