Roadmap for Building the New Communities Canada Portal for Our In-House Team and Interns

Introduction

As we work together to build Communities Canada, our goal is to create a secure, scalable platform that connects and empowers communities across the country. This roadmap outlines each phase, from planning and development to achieving early accomplishments, providing a structured approach for both our in-house team and interns. The architect will be involved from the start, guiding our foundational design choices to ensure alignment with project goals and scalability. Let’s use this roadmap to make meaningful contributions and gain valuable experience in Cloud, DevOps, architecture, and compliance.

Phase 1: Initial Setup and Project Planning (Weeks 1-2)

1. Define Project Scope and Objectives
   Meet with stakeholders to clarify the mission and objectives of Communities Canada, identifying core features needed for community impact, scalability, and security. The architect will help define architectural requirements, considering scalability and security needs, and document these in our roadmap alongside specific development milestones and DevOps requirements.

2. Set Up Development and DevOps Environment
   Establish a multi-cloud environment (e.g., AWS and Azure) and configure repositories in GitHub for collaborative code management. With guidance from the architect, outline a CI/CD pipeline that will allow us to streamline development-to-deployment processes, automating key DevOps tasks and ensuring they align with our architectural goals.

Phase 2: Building Development & DevOps Foundations (Weeks 3-6)

3. Core Platform Development
   Start building essential features in Java and Angular for both back-end and front-end functionality. Focus on creating modular, reusable code to keep the project scalable and efficient. Develop initial APIs and back-end services to support core platform features, documenting each step for future reference and training.

4. DevOps Pipeline Setup and Automation
   Implement a CI/CD pipeline using tools like GitHub Actions or Jenkins, focusing on automation for testing, security scanning, and deployment. The architect will ensure that our DevOps setup aligns with architectural principles and supports continuous integration and deployment, facilitating faster testing and reliable updates.

5. Establish Security Protocols
   Integrate foundational security measures, including role-based access controls and automated scanning for vulnerabilities, to ensure platform security. The architect will work with the team to set up logging and monitoring tools (e.g., AWS CloudWatch, Azure Monitor) to monitor system health and detect potential issues early on.

Phase 3: Architecture Development and Stakeholder Feedback (Weeks 7-10)

6. Refine and Implement Scalable Solutions Architecture
   With insights from initial development and stakeholder feedback, the architect will refine the solutions architecture to support growth. Using cloud-native tools and microservices, the architecture will ensure scalability and performance. An architecture guide will be created to document best practices and support consistent implementation.

7. Collaborate with Stakeholders
   Regularly connect with stakeholders to gather insights on project direction and user requirements. Use this feedback to enhance the user experience and fine-tune platform functionality. Adjust and improve platform features based on feedback, prioritizing community needs and preferences.

Phase 4: Process Optimization and Achieving Early Milestones (Weeks 11-12)

8. Optimize DevOps Processes
   Refine the CI/CD pipeline by adding automation for code linting, vulnerability scanning, and performance testing, optimizing the development workflow. Test pipeline stability by running simulated deployments to ensure reliability and address any bottlenecks.

9. Finalize Security and Compliance Foundations
   Complete the security protocols and create documentation for compliance, establishing Communities Canada as a secure and trustworthy platform for community engagement. Prepare reports and a security overview to demonstrate the platform’s readiness and compliance posture.

10. Document and Share Early Wins
    Summarize foundational accomplishments, such as establishing automated pipelines, setting up security protocols, and building a scalable architecture. Share these milestones with the team to recognize contributions and establish a record of progress, celebrating the team’s hard work and dedication.

Conclusion

By following this roadmap, our in-house team and interns at Communities Canada will gain practical experience while building a platform designed to connect communities across Canada. Each phase represents a critical step toward achieving our mission, and with early involvement from the architect, we’re creating a secure, scalable solution that aligns with project goals. Let’s work collaboratively to bring Communities Canada to life!