To make consistent progress in your development you need to develop a plan. Without a plan you risk wasting time, duplicating work or working towards the wrong goals. In this episode we discuss the importance and methodologies behind developing a plan. We talk about why having the skills to develop a plan can help you in every aspect of your development career. Breaking down plan into four phases. Teaching you how to D.R.O.P. a development plan. Finally we address what to do when it turns out your current plan is not working and how to get back on track.
Importance of developing a plan
- Allows to be able to measure progress
- Allows for alignment on goals and success measurement
- Helps you prioritize and make the best use of your time
When to develop a plan
- When writing code and building functionality
- When working with a team on a development project
- When working on development career goals
How to develop a plan using D.R.O.P
- Define: Determine what the endpoint you are trying to reach
- Research: List the skills and tools you have and the ones you need to reach your endpoint
- Outline: Breakout the smallest actionable steps you can take to reach your endpoint
- Prioritize: Order your actionable steps into an order that allows you to build one on top of the other.
What to do when a plan starts to fail
- Stop what you are doing, do not try to muscle through it.
- Ask questions, analyze and evaluate what is causing problems
- Develop a plan to resolve each problem.
Listener Challenges
- Tell us about your methods for developing a plan.
- Share with us what tools and systems you use to implement your plans
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