Best of Project Management — August 2024

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   Article

   Hacker News·2y

   How to Build Anything Extremely Quickly

   Outline speedrunning involves creating a detailed outline of a project, breaking it down into smaller tasks recursively, completing them quickly without perfecting, and then refining the project once it's done. This method, compared to the traditional 'loading-bar' style, can significantly speed up tasks like writing and programming by increasing momentum and reducing stress. The key is to not perfect any part of the project until it is fully completed.

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   David Heinemeier Hansson·2y

   Software estimates have never worked and never will

   Estimating software development time has been a consistent failure since the inception of computing. The industry persists in trying this flawed method despite decades of unsuccessful attempts. The challenge lies in the novelty of most software projects, which defy precise upfront specifications. Instead of relying on estimates, shifting to a flexible development approach using budgets or appetites, as advocated by the Shape Up methodology, can lead to more successful and timely software delivery.

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   Article

   Trunk.io·2y

   What's something you do for every project you start?

   Observing how someone initiates a new project can reveal their experience and skills. This practice is insightful enough to be used during interviews. Consider what types of projects interest you and the tools you instinctively use when starting a new project.

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   Article

   Substack·2y

   Ask First, Code Later: The single, most important question

   Developers should question project requirements rather than blindly implementing them. By asking 'why' and engaging in early discussions, they can uncover the true reasons behind requests, thereby leading to better solutions. Collaborative conversations during the requirement phase help address corner cases and find optimal solutions. It's a reminder that questioning and peer-reviewing requirements can lead to more efficient and effective outcomes.

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   Article

   Work Chronicles·2y

   (comic) Verifying estimates

   Work Chronicles offers entertaining comics about work life, crafted with attention and passion. These comics provide a humorous take on various office scenarios.

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   Article

   Project IDX·2y

   IDX

   Project IDX now supports Gitlab and Bitbucket repositories, available in an early preview for all users. Watch the video for walkthroughs and detailed information.

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   Article

   Saiyan Growth Letter·2y

   To go slow is to go fast

   The concept 'Slow is smooth, smooth is fast' highlights the importance of taking time to thoroughly learn, understand bugs, and plan projects. This approach prevents repeated mistakes, aids in effective debugging, and ensures project success through better alignment and realistic estimates.

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   Article

   KDnuggets·2y

   5 Common Data Science Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

   Data scientists often make five common mistakes that can negatively impact their projects: rushing into projects without clear objectives, overlooking foundational steps like data cleaning and statistics, choosing the wrong visualizations, neglecting feature engineering, and focusing more on accuracy than overall model performance. Understanding these pitfalls and how to avoid them is key to improving your workflow and becoming a more effective data scientist.

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   Article

   Netguru·2y

   What Is POC (Proof of Concept) in Software Development?

   A proof of concept (PoC) in software development is a testing methodology used at the initial stage of the product lifecycle to validate the feasibility of an idea. It helps assess technical viability, align the product with market needs, identify limitations, make rational budget decisions, provide convincing evidence to investors, and accelerate the release process. Key steps include defining the need, ideating solutions, creating and testing prototypes, and developing a roadmap. Successful PoCs ensure that a product can solve real-life problems and is technically achievable before full-scale development.

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    Article

    Community Picks·2y

    YAGNI: The engineering principle that tells you "Don't do it! Save time for the future"

    YAGNI, which stands for 'You Aren't Gonna Need It', is a principle in software engineering that advises against adding unnecessary features until they are needed. It promotes productivity by avoiding code bloat and ensuring the project remains manageable, maintainable, and easy to understand. The principle emphasizes decision-making based on facts rather than assumptions and balances the need to foresee future requirements without overcomplicating the system. YAGNI helps to minimize different costs such as building, delay, carrying, and repair costs.

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    Article

    Planet Python·2y

    7 Things That Helped Me Grow as a Software Engineer

    Growth as a software engineer involves several key principles: having inner drive, consistently delivering results, choosing impactful and interesting projects, developing deep expertise, teaching others, handling criticism well, and understanding the business aspect. Ambition and a love for challenges can drive ongoing learning and career progression.

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    Article

    Towards Dev·2y

    Managing Complex Rust Workspaces

    Managing large Rust projects can be challenging due to Cargo's flexibility in structuring workspaces. For projects between ten thousand and one million lines of code, a flat layout is recommended over a nested one. This approach minimizes namespace inconsistencies, enhances project visibility, and simplifies the addition or splitting of crates. Additional tips include using a virtual manifest at the workspace root, avoiding the stripping of common prefixes, writing automation in Rust, using version '0.0.0' for internal crates, and maintaining a nested structure even for single-file crates.

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    Article

    ElixirStatus·2y

    Proof of Concept in software development

    Proof of Concept (PoC) is a powerful tool for validating ideas before significant investment. It allows businesses to test hypotheses, demonstrate technical feasibility, and align projects with business objectives, minimizing risks. PoCs foster a culture of experimentation and data-driven decision-making, driving innovation and optimizing resource allocation. Successful PoCs require clear goals, rapid development, and objective evaluation. Avoiding common pitfalls like misguided expectations and lack of stakeholder involvement is crucial to leveraging the full benefits of PoCs.

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    Article

    swizec.com·2y

    Let small fires burn

    In a fast-growing environment, it's important to focus on high-impact tasks rather than getting sidetracked by minor issues. Reid Hoffman's advice to 'let fires burn' emphasizes prioritizing major opportunities over small nuisances. Engineering constraints help differentiate between essential and non-essential tasks. It's crucial to avoid the trap of constantly fixing minor bugs and instead, concentrate on the more significant features that will drive productivity and user satisfaction. Measuring the impact of issues can guide resource allocation, ensuring that efforts are directed toward the most pressing problems.

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    Article

    Security Boulevard·2y

    Comic Agilé – Mikkel Noe-Nygaard, Luxshan Ratnaravi – #304 – Fail Fast

    Mikkel Noe-Nygaard and Luxshan Ratnaravi discuss the importance of the 'Fail Fast' concept in agile development, emphasizing the need to quickly identify and address failures to improve overall project outcomes. This post is part of the Security Bloggers Network and is authored by Marc Handelman.

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    Article

    Hacker News·2y

    Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: Navy SEALs’ Efficiency Secret

    The saying 'slow is smooth, smooth is fast' underscores the importance of precision over speed. Commonly used by Navy SEALs, this principle champions taking deliberate and accurate actions to minimize mistakes and enhance overall efficiency. This approach proved pivotal during high-stakes missions like Operation Neptune Spear, and the concept can be effectively applied beyond military contexts in business practices and project management to avoid costly errors and improve productivity.

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    Article

    AlternativeTo·2y

    OpenProject 14.4 adds dark mode, enhanced permissions, and improved progress tracking

    OpenProject 14.4 introduces a customizable Dark Mode to reduce eye strain, enhanced permissions management with precise control over user actions, and improved progress tracking with exact percentage values for task completion. Additional updates include a new Nextcloud storage configuration test, expanded filter options for project lists, streamlined meeting agenda creation, chronological meeting displays, quick link copying, and better avatar color generation.

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    Article

    UX Planet·2y

    Website Redesign Project Plan Steps in 2024

    A website redesign project is vital for a company's digital marketing strategy, requiring considerable time, budget, and personnel investments. The post outlines a detailed framework for creating a website redesign project plan, encompassing areas like assembling a design team, setting clear business objectives, conducting a comprehensive website audit, assessing competition, setting a realistic budget, choosing the appropriate tech stack, and conducting user research. Key steps include finalizing the website layout, taking inventory of existing content, setting brand guidelines, mapping the new site architecture, and adhering to evergreen design principles. Pre-launch and post-launch tasks are also highlighted to ensure a smooth redesign process.

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    Article

    Machine Learning News·2y

    Top Calendar Tools For Meetings (2024)

    Managing schedules can be a daunting task, especially when a significant portion of the week is spent in meetings. This post highlights top calendar tools and apps for 2024 that aim to simplify scheduling and improve productivity. Tools such as Calendly, Calendar, Hive, and others are reviewed for their unique features and benefits. Features range from simple meeting scheduling to advanced AI-driven calendar management, offering solutions for both individual and business needs.

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    Article

    JetBrains·2y

    Workspaces in IntelliJ IDEA

    IntelliJ IDEA has introduced support for workspaces, allowing developers to manage multiple projects simultaneously. This feature is especially beneficial in complex development environments and with microservices. Although monorepos offer many advantages, they present challenges such as performance issues and restricted access control, making workspaces a valuable alternative. The workspace functionality is still in preview and available as a plugin, with several limitations, such as the lack of run configuration synchronization and automatic project settings updates. Future improvements include better project settings synchronization and simplified multi-project run configurations.

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    Article

    Aaronontheweb·2y

    Hate Your Own Work and Ship It Anyway

    The post emphasizes the importance of being self-critical of your own work while still shipping it, highlighting that interacting with users and receiving feedback is crucial for real improvement. It stresses the value of delivering products early to validate assumptions and improve iteratively based on real-world feedback rather than theoretical perfection. By preparing to handle negative feedback proactively, one can better cope with criticism and use it to foster continuous improvement.

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