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02 Stack Overflow Challenge Round 2: Approach 3 with AI Diary

March 2026 (253 Words, 2 Minutes)

exercise python ai-tools prompting ai-diary sdlc

The Task

The challenge is the same as in Round 1:

Your mission: Recreate the Stack Overflow plot using Python + AI tools.

Find the data programmatically (Stack Overflow Data Explorer, Stack Exchange API, …)

Reproduce the chart: monthly question counts + rolling average

Extend it: Overlay markers for key AI breakthroughs from the timeline

What Is Different This Time

The task is identical. Your approach should not be.

In Lecture 2 you learned three approaches to AI-assisted development. This time, use Approach 3: The Professional — the SDLC workflow with integrated AI Diary.

Requirements

Set up a proper project using uv for dependency management, with separate modules for data fetching, visualization, and milestones. Include a diary/ folder. See Approach 3 for the full prompt sequence.
Follow the SDLC workflow: requirements document first, then tests (red phase), then implementation (green phase), then integration. Commit after each step, with a diary entry alongside each commit.
Use the AI Diary format. Every prompt cycle gets a numbered diary entry saved to diary/. Each entry records the full prompt text with a timestamp, the tool and model used, and the number of iterations. See the AI Diary section for the format specification.
You may use GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or both. Note in your diary entries which tool you used for each prompt cycle.
Focus on process, not just the result. A working plot with no commit history and no diary is worth less than a partially working plot with a clean git log and complete diary entries. We are assessing how you work, not just what you produce.

Reference Repository

A complete example of the Approach 3 workflow: github.com/l3gj0n/so-challenge

Browse the git log and the diary/ folder to see the expected structure. Your repository should follow the same pattern — your code, prompts, and diary entries will be different, but the commit structure and diary format should match.

Deliverables

A GitHub repository with a clean commit history where each commit pairs code changes with a diary entry
A diary/ folder containing numbered diary entries (one per prompt cycle)
The generated Stack Overflow trend plot

Feedback

After completing Round 2, fill out the post-repetition feedback quiz so we can compare your experience across both attempts.

Timeline

Start during the Lecture 2 session if time permits. Complete as take-home work by the start of Lecture 3.