Have you ever worked on a big, complex project and found the experience easy and enjoyable? What about the reverse? Was it difficult and almost nightmarish with constantly shifting goals and requirements?
The difference between the two experiences is night and day. But the cause of those differences? The simple yes easily overlooked steps of planning and preparation.
As I continue to grow as a programmer, one of the things that continues to amaze me is how important planning and preparation are to any project. Taking some time upfront to iron out all the details (the planning stage) and ensure the plan is feasible from a development standpoint (the preparation stage) can be the difference between an enjoyable, on-time implementation and delivery and a frustrating, seemingly endless one.
A few of the most impactful things I’ve learned are:
– assumptions are one of the worst things you can do – never assume data where data will be or how it will be formatted
– just because something makes sense to you, doesn’t mean that tool/resource exists or works that way
– alignment with other teams/resources should be done in the planning stage to ensure those resources will be available and their allocation, schedule, and location
One of the most important parts of planning and preparation is alignment. Aligning on requirements, milestones, definitions of done, and feature design. The larger and more complex the project, the more important alignment becomes.
You don’t want to have to scrap work halfway through implementation because it doesn’t meet a partner teams’ requirements or expected workflow.
It’s easy to overlook things during planning and preparation and some things may only surface during implementation. However, the more thorough you can be with planning and preparation, the easier implementation becomes.
What are some of your planning and preparation tips?
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