A Day In The Life Of A Frontend Architect
Want to know how a Frontend Architect spends his day? We checked in with Jade from MING Suzhou to get a fresh look at his tasks and hobbies.
Hi, I am Jade, a Frontend Architect at MING Labs in Suzhou. A typical working day for me at MING can be described as fast-paced, challenging and unpredictable. Given the nature of my role and my position within the company, there can be moments of high tension as well as relaxation in my work.
7:30 am: Wake Up And Morning Routine
Normally, I would wake up in the morning around 7:30 to send my wife off to her workplace. Afterwards, I like to chat with my daughter and wind down with a simple breakfast to start my day.
9:30 am: Morning Workout
After arriving at the office, I get pumped up for what’s ahead with two of my favorite exercises. My daily routine is usually a set of pushups and abdominal rolls.
10:00 am : Morning Check-In
The first thing I do after my mini fitness regimen is to check my email inbox for upcoming deliverables, meetings and other events. I get back either through email or Slack for any updates on the latest tasks and required input. As there is a noticeable time zone difference between the China and Germany offices, I make sure to get back to my colleagues working across the globe as soon as possible to create a 1-day window. Within the Suzhou team, we would then normally conduct a daily or sprint plan meeting to outline our project plans for the week.
11:30 am : Project Overview
As the front-end architect, I am responsible for software directly integrated within the MING webpage as well as associated applications and use cases. According to the project timeline and progress reports, I normally work on developing the platforms that users can directly interact with.
1 pm: Lunch Break
I’m an avid foodie and love to try out different cuisines, but my go-to meals include northwestern and Xinjiang style food. When the weather is nice, I take the time to walk around the park directly next to our office to relax after a filling meal.
2 pm: Meeting With The Project Team
In the afternoon, I would arrange to meet with designers and project managers and depending on the project they could be local members of the Suzhou team or from our other lovely offices. We would go over the requirements and relevant approaches for problems we are facing on the projects.
3:30 pm: Frontend Development
After meeting with other designers and PMs, I put on my headphones and enter a flow state for my development work. Typically all the core development challenges are resolved at this time when I am able to fully focus and become immersed in the code. Recently, I helped with the development of our N11 project, an application that the Chinese football team used directly to improve their performance.
5:00 pm: Interdepartmental Collaboration
Around this time I will sort out the problems reported to me by colleagues from different departments and by customers, of which I will use Jira to track. I will then plan technical solutions to the problems previously outlined.
6 pm: Work Send-Off
Towards the end of the day, I organize all the contents from the day with regards to development and send it off to the QA engineers to be tested.
7 pm: Post-Work Workout
After work, you can normally find me back at the gym trying to get some final sets in with weights, followed by a nutritious meal for recovery. Despite the long day at work, fitness is my passion and part of my lifestyle and I always find time to incorporate it into my schedule.
Jade Zhang is a Front-End Architect at MING Labs.
MING Labs is a leading digital business builder located in Berlin, Munich, New York City, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Singapore. We guide clients in designing their businesses for the future, ensuring they are leaders in the field of innovation.
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