Today I am returning to the topic of having your Axe sharpened before cutting down the tree. We talked about preparing for work by having version control already in place, automating the build process, and shared Dilip’s comments regarding clear goals for any project to be undertaken.
Here are some other areas of sharpening your software axe that come to mind.
It is important to staff appropriately. What are the key roles you must have covered in order to execute your project? Once the roles are identified, do you have adequate resources covering each role?
Establish clear guidelines for the success of any project. How will you measure success? How will you know when you are done? How will you know when you are straying away from the primary target? How will you know what to cut if you run out of resources or time?
Identify and acquire any technical skill missing for your endeavor. Do you need to learn new languages or frameworks? Do you need to run smaller projects to identify tools and skills needed? What do you need to know in order to architect a solution?
Please share any ideas that you think help prepare for taking on a project, helping to bring it to completing with the greatest probability of success. Leave your comment here, or drop an Email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben