Final Project Checkpoint 3

This is the final stretch: turn your MVP into a demoable project with a portfolio-ready repo you'd be proud to show off.

Due: Friday, May 1st at 3:30pm (Demo Day).

Step 1: Work your personalized guide

Your next steps are personalized based on where your project actually is. Find your guide here:

👉 Final Project Paths

Work through your latest guide first. It tells you what to finish, cut, or polish this week based on your repo's current state.

If you're done with your guide, have pivoted, or need further instruction, reach out to the instructor (office hours, Discord, or in class) and a fresh guide will be generated for you on-demand. Don't sit in limbo without next steps — ask for a new guide.

The three milestones

Your personalized guide tells you what to build. These are the three things every project needs to hit by Demo Day, regardless of category.

1. Working demo

Your MVP runs cleanly, end to end, from a fresh clone.

  • Every feature on your "Must have" list actually works — no broken paths.
  • Obvious bad input (empty form, wrong click, missing file) doesn't crash the app.
  • Anything you cut from scope is removed from the UI — no dead buttons or half-wired features.
  • You can run it in front of the class without a "uhh, let me fix this real quick."

2. Portfolio-ready repo

This repo will live on your GitHub profile. Make it something you'd link a future employer to.

  • README: one-paragraph description, how to run (exact commands), what the user can do, and a screenshot or short GIF of it working.
  • No secrets in git: API keys loaded from environment variables; include a .env.example if applicable.
  • Clean tree: delete dead files, unused scripts, and commented-out blocks. If it's not used, it shouldn't be in the repo.
  • Commit history: messages describe what changed (add score tracking, not update).
  • Final journal entry: add a Checkpoint 3 entry to project.journal.md reflecting on what you built, what you wrote yourself vs. what your agent helped with, and what you'd do next if you had another week.

3. Demo Day presentation

A short, confident 2–5 minute demo. Keep it tight — practice it once out loud before Friday.

  • What it is (one sentence): what the project does and who it's for.
  • Live walkthrough: run the core loop in front of the class. Don't narrate code — show the thing working.
  • One thing you're proud of: a feature, a bug you squashed, or something you learned.
  • One thing you'd do next: what the stretch version of this project would look like.

What is due for Checkpoint 3

By Friday, May 1st at 3:30pm, you should have:

Anything specific to your project is in your personalized guide. If you don't have a current one, ask for a new guide.