It has been about 5 or 6 weeks since I was assigned to the Cloud-Based Algorithmic Trading Strategies for Individual Investors project group. The name is quite a mouthful but it is a very interesting subject. I think the more I learned about this project the more I realized how complex it is, or at least how complex it can be. My group and I faced a decision fairly early on where we had to choose if we wanted to focus more on the research and algorithm side, or more on delivering a full service application. Based on our interests and what we believed to be a more well-rounded choice, we went with the second option.
The trouble with a full service cloud-based algorithmic trading application is that it has a lot of moving parts which can feel overwhelming at times. This leads me into one of the benefits of cloud applications. The modularity of cloud apps is great, but it means that all the separate pieces or modules of a product have to fit together and connect with each other for things to work.
So far, my group and I have completed problem statements, a requirements document, preliminary designs, and a design document. Now we are at the point where we are actually put things together and trying to make it all work. A week from yesterday, we will be delivering v0.0.1. I feel nervous about it because I’m not sure if everything will work or if we’ll have enough time to address any issues which will likely arise. I guess looking on the bright side, no matter what happens it will be a valuable learning experience.
