Overview
What this challenge is about.
Audit an NGO platform's dependencies, secrets, and tests. Deliver a maintenance plan, hardening checklist, and board memo. End with a verifiable certificate.
The scenario
The NGO (donor-funded, AfDB + Gates Foundation, serves around 14,000 farmers) cannot afford a re-build but cannot keep limping on an unmaintained platform either.
The Brief
What you'll do, and what you'll demonstrate.
Produce a realistic 12-month maintenance plan for an NGO-inherited Django platform that one part-time developer can execute.
Earning criteria — what you'll demonstrate
- Categorize software maintenance work using the IEEE/ISO categories
- Prioritize a hardening checklist with realistic constraints
- Plan stabilization work for a part-time developer
- Communicate maintenance cost to a non-technical board
Program Fit
Where this fits in your program.
Sharpens the same skills your degree expects you to demonstrate.
Software Engineering Foundations
Bachelor · Software Engineering
Strong alignment
This challenge maps to Software Engineering Foundations at the Bachelor level. It sharpens the same practical skills your coursework expects — but in a real industry context with actual constraints and deliverables.
Skills
Skills you'll demonstrate.
Each one shows up on your verified credential.
- Software Maintenance
Apply software maintenance to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Dependency Management
Apply dependency management to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Security Hardening
Apply security hardening to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Observability
Apply observability to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Stakeholder Communication
Apply stakeholder communication to solve real industry problems and demonstrate production-level capability.
- Risk Management
Identify, assess, and mitigate risks across business operations and projects.
Careers
Career paths this challenge builds toward
Completing this challenge demonstrates skills that transfer directly to these roles: