Learning outcomes
- Plan and build a complete project from scratch
Core concepts
Lessons
Module goal
Shift from building assigned projects to planning and owning a project — and learn Git/GitHub, the standard tool for managing code professionally.
Lesson 1 of 6 · lecture
From assigned projects to owned projects
Step 1 of 2
Every capstone so far came with a clear brief — specific requirements handed to you. From this point on, that shifts. The Professional Capstone at the end of Level 5 is your own original project, and this module prepares for that shift by teaching how real projects get planned, not just coded.
A mindset transition
Until now, what to build was already decided. Professionally, deciding what to build and how to scope it is itself part of the work — arguably the part that separates someone who can follow instructions from someone who can own a project end to end.
Guided labs
Lab — initialise a repository and commit progress
- 1.Choose the Advanced Capstone project (Repair Tracker) from Module 12
- 2.Initialise Git inside that project folder
- 3.Create a .gitignore file and add *.db to it — a .gitignore tells Git which files never to track; database files with real or test data shouldn't be uploaded to a public repository
- 4.Make an initial commit with a clear, descriptive message
- 5.Create a GitHub repository and push the project to it
- 6.Make one small change (a comment or minor formatting fix), then stage, commit and push it separately — practising the full cycle more than once
cd repair_tracker
git init
echo "*.db" > .gitignore
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit: working repair tracker with SQLite storage"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/repair-tracker.git
git push -u origin mainTeaching point
The second commit is the point of the exercise — it proves you understand the stage → commit → push cycle rather than a one-time upload.
Success criteria
The project appears correctly on your GitHub profile, the .db file is excluded (confirming .gitignore worked), and the commit history shows at least two separate, clearly-described commits.
Knowledge Check
Question 1 of 6
What questions should be answered before writing code for a new project?
What you read
- How professional projects are scoped
- Git basics (commit, push, pull, branches)
What you understand
Key takeaways
- — Coding professionally means managing a project lifecycle, not just writing code
Hands-on lab
Lab tasks
- 1.Initialize a GitHub repository and commit progress on a final project
Knowledge check
- Git command matching
- Project-scoping exercise
Write your answers in your own notes before moving on — explaining a concept in your own words is the fastest way to find the gaps.