Class 7: September 8, 2026 · ENTR 5000
Notes from September 8, 2026. These notes record the discussion and instructions given that day. For current requirements and due dates, use the assignment guidelines and semester schedule.
A small MVP with a clear test
An MVP (minimum viable product) is the smallest usable version of a product or feature that helps test an important assumption. It may be much smaller than a complete app. The class target is one useful action working from beginning to end, with the work saved to GitHub; remote deployment is a later milestone.
Use this structure to define the first useful behavior:
For [person], this app makes it easier to [task] by letting them [action] and giving them [result].
For the wardrobe exercise, a user can enter an item’s name and category, save it, and still see it in a list after refreshing. That provides a concrete behavior to test, rather than a vague request to “build a wardrobe app.” Record the scope and success criteria in spec.md in the repository.
Directing AI work and checking its results
An open-ended “build me an app” request can produce ideas and something to react to quickly. The tradeoffs are generic choices, features you did not intend, and code or services whose behavior you do not yet understand. A spec-first approach helps keep the work small enough to inspect and learn from.
The human sandwich puts human judgment around AI execution: people set the intent and evaluate the result. You remain responsible for software you release, including its security and costs. A likely matching reference is AI Daily Brief: Why Agents Still Need Humans.
Ask the assistant to explain what it changed and why. If it moves faster than you can follow, pause the building and ask it to walk through the last few steps. The goal includes learning to act as a product owner or engineering manager: defining useful work and judging whether the result meets the need.
The shared class stack
The class is standardizing its starting architecture so projects are easier to compare and help with. This replaces the earlier assortment of framework choices. Existing projects should be reviewed and migrated deliberately; different tools can be explored later.
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Python | The programming language used for the application. |
| Django | A web framework that supplies many common application capabilities in one system. |
| Django templates | Combine a page’s HTML structure with application data. |
| HTMX | Request and update portions of a page through HTML attributes, without a full-page reload. |
| Bootstrap | Reusable front-end styling and components, including responsive layouts. |
| uv | Manage the Python environment and project packages. |
| SQLite | A local SQL database that stores the application’s data in a file. |
PostgreSQL and Railway are part of the planned path to remote hosting. A database migration still needs checking; it is not automatically safe because an AI tool can generate it.
A repository is the project’s files plus Git history. The local copy is on your computer; the GitHub remote supports sharing and collaboration. A page running at 127.0.0.1 is being accessed on your own machine, so its address is not yet a public link classmates can use.
The project’s files have different jobs: spec.md describes intended behavior, templates shape pages, application code implements behavior, configuration controls setup, and the database stores records. uv.lock records resolved dependency versions so installations can be reproduced; it does not lock your computer’s files against editing.
Build and test the core action
Before coding, have the assistant identify the files it expects to change and three checks that would demonstrate success. Implement the core action in the existing framework, then ask it to distinguish completed checks from anything you still need to verify in the browser.
- Empty state: explain what to do when there are no records yet, such as “Add your first item.” A blank screen can look broken.
- Input validation: detect missing or invalid values and communicate how to fix them. Upload format/size and contact-information errors were examples.
- Persistence: confirm saved data survives a page refresh and a server restart.
- CRUD: create, read, update and delete—the core operations on stored records. For the wardrobe’s item-management flow, test each supported operation.
Test the app yourself and fix what you observe before committing the work. Peer testing was proposed—ask a classmate to tell you how they would complete the action—but skipped for time today. The demonstration used testing to notice a missing delete control and to reconsider navigation between wardrobe, item-detail and edit views.
Store an observation as a concrete change request: what the user did, what happened, and what should happen instead. This is design work as well as bug fixing.
Save a verifiable checkpoint
A commit records a named checkpoint in local Git history. A push sends those commits to the GitHub remote. Neither operation publishes a website.
Review the proposed files before committing. Keep credentials, local databases, uploaded photos and environment files out of the commit; the demonstration asked the assistant to check without printing secret values. Commit the intended changes with a descriptive message, push through the repository’s existing workflow, and verify the result on GitHub.
Deployment and preparation for Thursday, September 10
Deployment began in class and remains the homework task. Railway runs a separate server copy of the app, which can remain available when your laptop is closed. It can connect to the GitHub repository and provide a hosted address. The demonstration also showed how application services, a PostgreSQL database and configuration variables appear as parts of the system.
- Follow the Markdown handout shared in Slack to finish the app and get it running on Railway. Use the GitHub account/repository you are using for class. Railway’s Django guide is a supplemental reference.
- Share a link to the running app in the class Slack thread before Thursday’s review. A GitHub repository link or localhost address is not the deployed app link.
- Check the core action at the deployed address, including saving and retrieving data. Be ready to show what works and where you are stuck.
- If you are catching up, you may ask your coding assistant to work through the handout’s steps and help you get to the same point. Use the explanations and class notes to understand the resulting project.
The instructor’s aim is to keep required exercises within free hosting allowances. Check Railway’s current plan details: Free and Hobby are different plans; Hobby has a $5 minimum usage charge. Ask about a route forward if your trial has expired.
Thursday will begin with a quick look at deployments and then return to the entrepreneurial side of the first sprint. Watch for the baseline survey and catch-up notes in Slack.
The optional name-learning extra-credit challenge was held, including a brief speed round. Another opportunity remains open for Thursday.
Opportunities mentioned
These are optional ways to practice, meet people and find support. Use the announcements slides and organizer links for final event details.
- Entrepreneurship certificate: applications are open; apply soon if you plan to pursue it.
- Hats Off to Startups: the September 9 welcome social at Studio 225 was announced for 5–7 p.m., with hat-making supplies for the first 100 attendees.
- Quick Pitch: a 90-second pitch with a $1,000 prize; an idea is enough to enter. The event was announced for Thursday, September 17. See the announcements deck for this year’s entry details; the program webpage still contains older dates.
- Create Club RSVP: Mondays at 4:30 p.m., for hands-on building.
- Good Company, Good Citizen: Creature Comforts and Highland Park discuss corporate citizenship. Confirm timing with the organizer because the announced day and calendar listing differ.
- Startup social, September 24: meet people across campus at Sanford Stadium’s West End Zone; details are in the announcements deck.
- Georgia Kickstart Fund: student-led funding for student businesses. Class discussion distinguished these grants from an equity investment; check the fund’s current criteria for the appropriate stage of your business.
- Idea Accelerator: a four-week opportunity to practice customer discovery, financial literacy and investor readiness, ending with a demo day. The application deadline announced in class was Friday, September 11. Cohort I application.
- ENTR newsletter signup: receive the weekly opportunities and announcements.