how to win the next hack

  1. Plan to win
  1. Form a good team
  1. Think through your ideas
  1. Validate concepts
  1. Focus on building an MVP
  1. Setup Repository on Github
  1. Know your Audience
  1. Choose the right approach
  1. Take Short breaks
  1. Invest Time for the presentation

If the theme or topic is available in advance, brainstorm with your team. Be ready with the practical ideas that can be implemented fast.

conduct a mock hackathon a week before the competition.

Work together as a team, and get to know your teammates well.

Know your team’s strengths and weaknesses

Figure out ways to distribute work evenly.

Work on any specific challenges that you face.

Decide on the communication channel for exchanging files and messages.

Team up with friends or with whom you have a good rapport

If there is a chance to pitch your idea and form your team, be ready with your pitch in advance. Explain your idea with a clear and concise description.

look for the skills that you need for building the prototype

A good team has people from diverse domains and backgrounds

Assign roles clearly to everyone based on their area of expertise.

choose a good leader to complete your team. Select someone who is good at making decisions fast

you won’t find the time either to execute everything you plan

After generating ideas, filter them based on the value they provide

Think like a product owner and try to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Focus on the main problem statement: Who is the end user? What is your hypothesis? What problem are you solving for them?

Consider the time involved in executing the ideas. Pick only those features that you can build in 24 hours. With a clear product vision, you can create a rough prototype on paper. Share this with your team so that everyone knows what the key components are and who is building what.

Don’t jump to conclusions about concepts without researching. Be clear on what you are building and why.

Share the dependencies, priorities, and checkpoints with the team.

Talk to potential end users or customers of the product. Understand their pain points. Include these insights in your presentation. Validate the concept before prototyping and after building the product.

To win any hackathon, you need a good MVP with a well thought out value proposition.

While it may be tempting to chase multiple ideas, it is not practical to build a lot of features in a short period of time. Address the opportunities and limitations of your product beforehand.

Work on two or three primary components to build a working prototype.