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Certification Nugget: CLA - Certified LabVIEW Architect

tst wrote " set the "let's just write this" mode "

 

Let's just go Agile !

 

[Pun time warning]

 

We have included Agile as one of the options we offer and since our olde methodolgy was Plan Implement Educate Support (PIES) the term "Agile PIES" is our version. Durring a recent staff meeting when we were discussing this and other things, I could not help myself...

 

I interupted the meeting and started to sing;

 

Baseball, Hot dogs, Agile-Pies, and DSA...

 

[Pun done]

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
Message 21 of 29
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crossrulz wrote:
  • Make sure every requirement is documented somewhere in your code. A lot of points (30/100) are requirements coverage. These are graded simply with Requirements Gateway which just looks in comments for tags. Make sure you have every one of these tags in your code, even if you do not actually cover that requirement anywhere in your framework.  And do watch your typing. I lost a point here and I swear that I covered all of the requirements. My conclusion is that I mistyped one of the requirement tags.

 


I think they may be grading this a little differently now, as I got marked off a couple points because the tags were "unclear". I got to start with the tags in a text file, so I'm pretty sure that I used all of them, and I only put them in block diagrams and front panels.

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Message 22 of 29
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Yes, it's different.  Requirements Gateway is a first pass, during the hand-grading we verify that the requirement is actually dealt with in the location where the tag appears.  Please don't just "dump" the tags, it's clutter that actually undermines the case you're building that your solution is an organized plan to meet all the requirements.  

 

The spelling warning still holds, just as a matter of "help us help you."  Our review is unlikely to spot a mis-spelled tag.  To help, the tags are provided in a text document, we recommend copy-paste rather than retyping.  

Certification Engineer II
National Instruments

Certified LabVIEW Developer

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Message 23 of 29
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Can you please explain Requirements Gateway is a first pass??

 

Hemant

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Message 24 of 29
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We run Requirements Gateway to get a count of which tags appear in the candidate's code.  Any tags that do not appear will automatically lose the points allocated for that tag -- though not necessarily for the functionality represented by the tag.  When we do the hand-grade of functionality, the credit for any tags that are placed inappropriately is removed from the score.  So it might seem that you're better off dumping the tags -- but we're also evaluating overall how well your submission communicates where each functionality needs to be handled, so carelessly placed tags can erode your functionality score more than if it were just missing, if the dumping communicates a cluelessness or carelessness.  

 

The bottom line -- focus on meeting the requirements as best as you can and communicating clearly how that's done, and don't look for ways to game the system or collect "free" points.  

Certification Engineer II
National Instruments

Certified LabVIEW Developer

Message 25 of 29
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Hello NI,

 

I recently took my CLA exam and unintentionally detached the sheet which had the UI Sketch.  Will it cause any trouble?  I returned the solution with the complete package.

 

Thanks.

 

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Message 26 of 29
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my guess is no; however, if I were you, I'd right the certification department a letter or call them (or both) as they don't seem to be well organized based on previous experiences.  Just to cover your tracks so to speak.

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Message 27 of 29
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Hi Jaggs.  As long as all the pages were included in the sealed envelope when you turned in your exam (which is how I read your description), it will not be a problem.  

Best Regards,

Certification Engineer II
National Instruments

Certified LabVIEW Developer

Message 28 of 29
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Thanks for this informative discussion regarding the CLA exam. I am planning on taking my exam soon, and I plan on using the Actor Framework to help design my architecture which I believe will simplify some things. I have come up with a game plan of tackling this exam as follows:

 

  • First read Requirements thoroughly (I feel it is really important to properly understand what the requirements are to help design the data structures and API)
  • Draw inter-module communication architecture on paper (drawing the architecture on paper seems like a good initial step as it helps visualise the architecture much better than having to constantly refer to the requirements and this can be used to create the Actors and APIs)
  • Create Top Level Actors (Root Actor for Controller and Nested Actors for Module APIs)
  • Create Child Actors (Simulated / Physical) which inherit from the Nested Actors for Module APIs
  • Create Actor Class Data structures and Typedefs in the different Actors
  • Create the API using methods in the Top Level Actors
  • Create the Launcher VI
  • Create Controller Actor Core which launches all the other Simulated Actors and add relevant Requirement tags
  • Create UIs and Event Loops in the Simulated Actor Cores and add the Requirement tags
  • Create the Error Logger VI and add the Requirement tags
  • Create a FGV for timing
  • Write Documentation for Developer in Controller API including all the States and add Requirement tags
  • Write Documentation for Developer in overwritten methods in the Simulated Actors and add Requirement tags

Has anyone else over here used the Actor Framework for the CLA?

 

Does this seem like a sensible approach. The challenge to me is to do all of this in the 4 hours. What I am worried is that most of the Documentation and Requirements get left pretty much to the end and they are worth half of the exam grading.

 

Is there anything mentioned in the above game plan which feels unnecessary to do for the CLA exam?

 

Also what sort of time would you guys allocate to accomplishing the various tasks listed above?

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Message 29 of 29
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