Avni Retreat 2024 - My First Experience

With the thrill of meeting in-person and the joy of the Samanvay team coming together from different parts of the country, Avni Retreat 2024 kicked off on September 3rd at the Vama Retreat, nestled in the hills of Nandi, Bangalore.

As someone who joined Samanvay in January 2024, I had heard so much from my colleagues about the enriching experiences of previous sprints and retreats that I was eagerly waiting for this opportunity.

A Warm Welcome to Start the Day

The day began with hot cups of tea and coffee, as we gathered to greet each other. For many of us who work remotely, this kind of event gives us an opportunity to meet each other in person and build real connections.

Learning Together: Insightful Sessions

After our morning tea, the day was planned into a series of engaging and informative sessions that set the tone for the retreat.

Session 1: Leveraging AI for BI Report Development

The first session was a deep dive into how we plan to use AI to enhance our Business Intelligence (BI) reports. We were walked through the basics of AI, its growing importance, and the challenges we're currently facing in reporting. It was fascinating to see how the team is tackling these issues and how AI will soon be an integral part of BI report development for our clients.

There was also an in-depth discussion about Cursor AI and how we plan to leverage this technology in our report development process. The session provided a clear roadmap of the roles each of us—whether a Business Analyst, Developer, or QA—will play in adopting this AI-driven approach.

Session 2: Exciting Updates from the Product Team

The Product Team followed up with an insightful session, sharing updates on the latest developments in our new product pipeline. They also discussed ongoing research on integrating AI into our reporting systems, further reinforcing our vision of using advanced technologies.

Personal Reflection

As someone from a non-technical background, I was impressed by how seamlessly the session was tailored to make the technical aspects easy to understand. It gave me an understanding of how AI will reshape our reporting capabilities and make the process more efficient and effective.

Over the past 10 months, I have worked on multiple projects with different NGOs, each focused on diverse programs like Child Education, Maternity and Child Healthcare, Adolescent Development, etc. A key takeaway for me from all these projects is the importance of Simplicity. Whether it is with the usability of the Avni Mobile Application or the different reports we develop, simplicity in terms of usage and understanding is essential.

NGOs are seeking solutions that are user-friendly and don't complicate their existing processes but instead simplify and enhance them. They are looking for an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand solution for their grassroots-level work, all while being mindful of their limited budgets.

Our plans to leverage AI for reports are a key step toward making the report development process more efficient and cost-effective, reducing the development time and effort for us, while allowing us to deliver the desired results with minimal back-and-forth on requirements.

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The joy of reconnecting with my colleagues, learning about the future of AI in our work—this retreat was truly a blend of Team Spirit and Learning experience for me.