Developer SOP

Pre Expedition Activities

• Work with the staff scientist to determine if any external data (such as previous expeditions from Janus) will need to be loaded in LIMS for use during the expedition. If so, pre-load the data to LIMS on shore and export it to take to the ship. 
• Work with the staff scientist and TAS to determine if any third-party instruments will be used during the expedition. If so, determine how the data is to be captured and reported. If necessary (and possible) create any required parsing or loader routines before traveling to the ship and take them with you. 
• Work with Analytical Services to determine if any containers or other information needs to come from shore. If so, assist Analytical Services to pre-load the data to LIMS on shore and export it to take to the ship. 
• Review change management records from the ship to know what has been done recently. 
• Check with the AD supervisor on the latest development projects you will be working on during the expedition. 
• Get the Prospectus for the expedition you are participating in. Read it.

Port Call – oncoming

• Make sure your computing equipment will plug-in and that you can function on the shipboard network without having account and/or password issues. Make sure you still have the correct password for the ship dev account, password safe, and other required ship access. Get the current password(s) from the off-going developer(s) as needed. 
• Read the previous crew's expedition reports, thoroughly.
• Circulate through the labs. Talk to the off-going technical staff. What worked? What didn’t? What can be improved? 
• Repeat with any off-going scientists you can catch. What worked? What didn’t? What can be improved? 
• Cross-over with off-going developers. What happened? What changed? What’s changing? What worked? What didn’t? Where can we improve? Review change management records with them to assist in the discussion of what has changed during the previous expedition. 
• Spot check and confirm that releases in the source code repository match deployments in production and that you have the correct source code for what is being used. 
• Spot-check the normal services to ensure they are functioning and available: Web page, Web-Tabular Reports, Cumulus technical documents, Oracle databases, E-mail, Network & File services, Test database, Wiki. 
• Determine exactly what was copied / exported and is on the backup going to shore. Confirm contents if necessary. This is to prevent accidental “cleaning” of information that did not get sent to shore. 
• Review the developer’s end of expedition reports from the previous expedition. 
• Attend introductory meeting(s) or any other safety or training meeting(s). 
• Assist with loading/unloading freight and other tasks as directed by the Lab Officer or Assistant Lab Officer. 
• Plug in the travel drive(s). Dump a copy of information being transferred to the ship to the network or another machine. Synchronize any change management, source control, or document content that needs to be updated.

General Activities during an expedition

• Cross-over at least once a day with the other developer on ship. Ensure they are aware of what you are working on and any ongoing problems that you are aware of.
• Update your activities in Trello and the Google Site activity logs as appropriate. These are effective tools to communicate and support the first item.
• Cross-over at least twice weekly with your colleagues. What’s working? What’s not? What can be improved? Colleagues for this include the MCS, Curation, and TAS staff. 
• Spend at least 2 hours every shift up in the labs with the scientists and techs. Provide assistance in learning and using applications, capturing, managing, and reporting data, and general support for use of computing resources on ship. 
• Provide notifications to the change management team on ship and shore BEFORE modifying applications. This is done by sending an email to jr_developer when development work is begun. Keep appropriate records of changes as described in the Change Management Procedures. 
• Provide notifications of all changes to production applications and common libraries by email to jr_developer. Make sure to include the reason for the modification. 
• Keep the source code repository up to date so that releases in the repository match deployments on the ship. If it was deployed, it should have been checked in.

Beginning of Expedition (BOX) Activities

• Conduct beginning-of-expedition database clean-out and setups (set expedition number everywhere required). Note that some information may need to be retained from the previous expedition. Check with the staff scientist if you are not certain of what is needed. 
• Setup Laboratory Accounts for scientists and techs as needed. This includes creating or enabling accounts for oncoming scientists and staff as well as disabling accounts for off going scientists. 
• Clean out archived files on all logger systems—collaborate/confirm with off-going and on-coming Physical Properties, Paleomagnetics, and Imaging staff. This should just require confirming that it was done by the off-going developers. 
• If you find it was not done, confirm that the data WAS sent to shore before cleaning it off. 
• Ensure the current copy of the shore repository is available to ship. If not, update it. Merge in any changes you may need from shore for this expedition and rebuild those applications. Remember to notify jr_developer when you start work and jr_developer for deployments. 
• Work with TAS and curation staff to identify and handle any special data requests. Including but not limited to: 
• Containers or vials to be entered in preparation for the new expedition. 
• Sample request or sample planning data and content. 
• Do any of the samples from the previous expedition carry over? Keep them in the database and flag them appropriately. 
• Are repository samples being carried with the new expedition that will be analyzed? Do they need to be entered into the system? 
• Have new pieces of equipment come on board that require software or data services to assist in configuration, automation? 
• Check with the Underway technician: are the Navigation and Bathymetry data feeds running Ok? Going into the database?
• Ensure the video overlay feed is still connected to the RigWatch master and functioning. 
• Cross-over with the technicians in each of the labs. 
• Are the laboratory instrument systems up and functioning? 
• Are the Sample Entry systems up and functioning? 
• Are the Correlation systems up and functioning? 
• Are the Description systems up and functioning? 
• Are the Label Printing systems up and functioning? 
• Start any required changes through the change management process. 
• Do any standard materials need new labels and database records created? 

Middle of Expedition (MOX) Activities

Use your good judgment. Most of your time is spent here.

Projects - Fixes

Site preparation

• Work with lab technicians to ensure they are able to use the applications to accomplish the tasks that have to be done. 
• Check database and web services status and performance. If performance is degraded, work with the MCS to make appropriate corrections. 
• If time permits, learn / review the process and procedures for the labs. 

On Site Activities

• Monitor status of critical laboratory, database, and web services. 
• Provide data maintenance, cleanup and reporting services. 
• Make the software systems better. Remember to follow change management procedures before and after modifying an application. 
• Priorities for work are set by the Expedition Project Manager (staff scientist) and Lab Officer (LO). Work with them to keep change requests moving and being completed. 
  • When pressed for time, create a work around for a problem. It still requires a notice to jr_developer@ship.iodp.tamu.edu.
  • Create a different change request for the longer term solution so that it gets in the development queue. 
• Help with core on deck as directed by the LO / ALO. Keep up-to-date with core flow and processing. 
• Listen. Learn. Do. 

End of Expedition (EOX) Activities

• Deliver the end-of-expedition report that you have been writing throughout the expedition; send a copy to the AD Supervisor, Lab Officer and Publications Specialist. What worked? What didn’t? What’s changed? What can be improved?
• Establish with MCS, LOs, etc. when database snapshot will be taken for EOX.
• Circulate through the labs. What data didn’t get into the database? Provide support and training to help get the data in or find another appropriate place for it. 
• Clean out archived files on all logger systems—collaborate/confirm with off-going Physical Properties, Paleomagnetics, and Imaging staff. 
• Conduct end of expedition procedures for backing up the database. 
• Confirm with the MCS what is to be included in the backup going to shore and that it does cover all the information you are aware of that should go to shore. Assist them with creating backups as necessary. 
• Ensure all your code changes are checked in.
• Clean the development office. Assist in the general cleaning efforts. 
• Be ready to move out. Your replacement will be here soon.

Port Call – off going

• Provide assistance and information to oncoming developers. 
• Assist them to accomplish their oncoming duties. 
• They may not have sailed for quite a while, plan to: 
  • Review your changes.
  • Review the current state of the labs.
  • Review the current state of deployed applications.

Post Expedition Activities

• Provide assistance to the DBA and systems personnel to get the data from the ship restored and moved into shore production. 
• Review the shore repository and change log to ensure all your changes were correctly recorded and available to shore. 
• Review with the AD supervisor your activities during the expedition and any recommendations for further developments or improvements that are needed. 

Change

202301145 df Moved & renamed versioning/change log to bottom of doc. Use dates rather than numbers for changes notes. Clarify intent of change, noting that change log is in some way redundant with Confluence management.

6 df Removed jr_change_mgmt address. Use jr_developer for all notifications. Independent subversion backup no longer necessary.
5 df Converted to google site page. Revised reference for DeepZoomer and Navigation/Bathymetry.