7 Fail-Proof Ways to Make a Solution Challenge Entry

Published in

Google for Developers EMEA

6 min readMay 31, 2023

Studying for a degree program is hassle enough; volunteering for GDSC is fun. But, when you are a Chapter Lead or a Solution Challenge Team Lead, things get serious.

Whether you’re a GDSC Chapter Lead like me, a core team member, or have just formed a team to enter the solution challenge, this blog will help you with some housekeeping to avoid jumping right into the deep end.

[Just to add that… You don’t have to be a software developer to lead a GDSC Chapter or organize a Solution Challenge entry, but you do need a strong technical team to give your solution a solid foundation.]

#1. Form Your Team Early On

Your team is your first validation that you will make it through the submission phase. And there is no better way to get it right the first time than by starting early. You will most likely have a mentor, but they are volunteers, just like you.

So, you will need to take the lead on your solution. Identify your team members and make it cross-functional, with all the skills needed for your product. Having the right team “sets you on fire” and carries you through until the end.

You can find team members from your circle of friends or your GDSC team. If you come across this article in time and start discussing the solution challenge early in your first GDSC meeting, you will hopefully find team members.

Social media is also a great way; host meetings with other chapters, and you may find people interested in your project to join your team. Starting early gives you a great advantage in finding the best team members.

#2. Identify a Trainee Project Manager

As a lead, avoid being in charge of every aspect of the work. For team cohesiveness, you should have someone other than yourself as the project manager.

A project manager will go through the project lifecycle and facilitate most meetings, ensuring that every team member feels empowered enough to do the work and speak out during meetings.

I fell into the deep end partly because I didn’t start early. My team was formed two months after the Solution Challenge was announced. With only a month left before the submission, I got a blockchain developer, a full-stack developer, a cloud trainee person, and a digital marketer to be part of my team. Two of whom were core team members.

There was not ample time for training or looking for a project manager, so I had to facilitate all the meetings. Not long after the submission, some members complained that they felt lost and experienced blockers that inhibited their participation.

You will most likely not find someone with project management experience, but you can provide training by learning about the Design Sprint or picking up the necessary project management skills as explained by Indeed.

#3. Build According to the SDLC Framework

Using frameworks and established methodologies will not only help you get through the submission phase but will also help your team develop a solid technical and theoretical foundation for your product.

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is one way to solidify and speed up the production process. The SDLC starts with planning and ends with maintenance.

Building your product in sprints, following the design sprint mentioned earlier and adhering to the SDLC, is a seamless way to develop a product with a solid technical foundation.

#4. Validate Your Product Externally

During the implementation phase of your product, you may bring in external testers to evaluate its functionality and reliability.

However, this is not the point to test your product idea. Your product idea should have been scrutinized by your mentor and other team members before starting to build it.

Doing so saves you and your team members time and resources that would have been invested in building the wrong product from the beginning. External criticism can be valuable for solid product development.

#5. Review Your Technical Architecture

Your infrastructure is everything.

If your product does not have the right technology, it will not only lack the necessary components for submission but may also hinder the future of your product.

In my case, we used Google Node Blockchain, Cloud Spanner, and Firebase for connecting the backend with the front end. However, this connection was not implemented properly.

After the submission, team members had reached the peak of their commitments with exams and dissertations. Fatigue and a decline in motivation naturally followed. That’s where we left it, even though we had a nice UI. Unfortunately, it didn’t qualify us for the top 100 teams.

Looking back, I believe that if we had made the connections happen, we would have had a good chance.

Some things to note here: you must use at least some of Google’s technologies and products for your solution, the solution must be new, team members must be students and double submission results in disqualification.

#6. Prepare Your Product a Week Before Submission

Get your product ready for production at least one week before the deadline. Anything later may result in errors that can lead to disqualification.

I made a double submission for our entry due to complications that occurred during the rush submission hours. The GDSC UK community manager had complained that she had not seen our initial submission.

After a series of back-and-forths, I made another submission, requesting the Community Lead’s assistance in escalating the situation. Unfortunately, independent teams review solution challenge submissions, so communication may not be effective once such an error has occurred.

Save yourself the stress of the rush hour by ensuring your product is ready a week before submission.

Tip: You may record your demo and make your submission while still working on the backend (although I am unsure how this may affect the final result).

#7. Submit Only Once

As mentioned earlier, double submission leads to automatic disqualification.

The 2023 submission was done via Google Forms and allows for updates. However, in my case, the community lead stated that they did not see my team’s initial submission.

Consequently, I had to resubmit it even before it was escalated. If you ever encounter such a glitch, it’s better to leave it as it is than to double-submit.

Wishing you a successful submission!

If you are at Teesside University and looking to submit a solution, joining a chapter is the first step. Join the Teesside University GDSC Chapter.