About the challenge
HackFox is a 10-hour mini hackathon where teams will design and build from scratch an information system to manage academic justifications, using MongoDB as the main database technology. Participants will work in teams of up to four members and go through the complete software engineering process—from requirement gathering to deployment—focusing on scalability and real-world data.
Get started
The goal: replace a slow, manual justification process with an automated system that identifies which classes need to be justified for each student, integrates event data, and tracks approvals from professors and coordinators — all within a scalable and data-driven platform.
Participants will go through every stage of a real engineering project — from defining requirements and designing data models, to implementing APIs, testing, and deployment.
Milestone-Based StructureInstead of hourly sprints, teams will work through five milestones that mirror real project phases, giving flexibility while maintaining structure.
| Milestone | Goal | Suggested Time |
|---|---|---|
| Milestone 1 – Problem & Requirements Definition | Identify actors, define functional and non-functional requirements, and outline the MVP. | ~1.5h |
| Milestone 2 – Architecture & Data Design | Design MongoDB collections, relations, and indexes. Define the backend architecture. | ~2h |
| Milestone 3 – Core Feature Development | Implement the justification flow: create requests, detect affected classes, validate, approve/reject. | ~3.5h |
| Milestone 4 – Interface & Testing | Create a basic UI or run API tests via Postman. Validate full system behavior. | ~2.5h |
| Milestone 5 – Final Demo & Documentation | Deliver working code, README, and short video demo. | ~0.5h |
Requirements
What to Build
Your team must design and implement a system that allows:
- Coorditators to submit justification requests with supporting evidence.
- Automatic detection of impacted classes based on student schedules.
- Dean of Engineering to approve or reject requests.
- Storage and queries handled efficiently using MongoDB.
Bonus points for integrating:
- Dashboards or analytics (e.g., number of approvals, response time).
- Authentication and roles.
- Deployment on MongoDB Atlas + Render/Vercel.
Detailed Description of Additional Documents
"Entrevista" (Stakeholder Interview)
This document contains a conversation with the primary stakeholder or end-user of the process.
It includes:
- Their needsPain points
- Current workflow challenges
- Expected improvements
- Constraints and must-have features
Purpose:
To help teams identify real functional and non-functional requirements directly from the user perspective.
This is the foundation for:
- Defining scope
- Prioritizing features
- Creating user stories
- Guiding the overall solution design
"Kiosko Interview" (Executive Kiosk Template)
This is a structured template that teams will use to document their analysis, system design, and requirement specification.
The template typically includes sections like:
- Actor definitions
- Functional and non-functional requirements
- System objectives
- Data flow
- High-level architecture Key endpoints
- Expected outputs or system behavior
Purpose:
To standardize documentation so all teams present their system in a clear, comparable, and professional format.
It ensures teams think through system behavior before coding.
"Ejemplo de Llenado" (Filled Example Template)
This document shows a completed sample of the Kiosko Directivo template.
It demonstrates:
- How each section should be written
- The level of detail expected
- How to document requirements correctly
- How to structure diagrams or explanations
- What a complete analysis looks like
Purpose:
To serve as a reference or guide, helping teams properly document their work even if they have little experience with requirement specification.
"srvlistas.htm" (Students Schedules & Class Data)
This file contains raw HTML data with student schedules, classes, groups, and time slots.
Inside, teams will find:
- Student IDs
- Names
- Courses
- Groups
- Days and times of classes
- Assigned professors
Purpose:
This serves as the primary dataset teams will use to build their system. It guarantees every team is working with the same raw data, leveling the playing field.
Prizes
Best Use of MongoDB
For the team that demonstrates outstanding use of MongoDB, scalability, and clean architecture.
Certificate of excellence + technical mentoring session + MongoDB / MLH swag
Best Overall Project
Awarded to the team with the most complete, impactful, and technically sound solution.
Certificate of excellence + local prize + potential feature in CETYS news.
Special Mentions
For teams that stood out in collaboration, innovation, or documentation.
Certificates + community shout-out + optional mentoring opportunity.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Adrian Gonzalez
Gulfstream
Edwin Salinas
Oshi Health
Edson De León
CETYS
Judging Criteria
-
Problem Solving
How effectively does the project address the main challenge of automating the justification process? Is the solution functional and relevant to the problem? -
Technical Implementation
Quality of the codebase, architecture, and MongoDB usage. Proper data modeling, indexing, and scalability will be key. -
Product & UX
Is the interface intuitive, accessible, and well-presented? Does it clearly communicate the process to users? -
Documentation & Deployment
Quality of the README, clarity of setup instructions, and availability of a working demo or API endpoints. -
Project Management
How well did the team organize milestones, manage collaboration, and deliver progress consistently? -
Innovation & Creativity
Any unique features, integrations, or approaches beyond the MVP that enhance the project.
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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