Projects All the Time

I’ve been away from my computer for quite a bit recently, hard at work in the Texas heat (don’t worry, I keep well hydrated and take lots of breaks) fixing a limestone patio. It’s a lot of moving dirt around, lifting and placing large stones, and planning.

Planning. We can never evade it, can we? Whether building a new house, fixing an old patio, or creating the latest revolutionary digital product, planning is always there.

I’ve always been involved in various real estate projects; my favorite aspect has always been taking a hands-on approach to it. As I was planning out what it would take to rebuild the patio, I was excited to get my hands on a shovel and start digging. But I waited; I did my research. Made measurements. Figured out if I needed more dirt. Figured out if I had the necessary tools. Got my shovels lined up (because I needed more than one type to do this work).

I’m the same in the software world, too. I like to get my hands onto the code as soon as reasonably possible. I want to see the product come to light one step at a time, but I also understand that I need to consider the user’s needs, writing a PRD, determining what infrastructure is needed, getting the UI wireframes, and so on. I — we, because I rarely do software projects on my own — need a plan.

Maybe the heat has been getting to me. Can we really compare planning a patio renovation with that of planning a large scale software project? I think we can. It’s just that one requires more deep considerations and coordination than the other in the long run. But the steps are the same. What’s the goal? Who is going to do what? What’s the timeline? What do we need? What are the risks (e.g., can we survive the current weather)?

The nice thing about the patio work is that I can do it pretty much on my own time. I can relax into the planning and the work in a way that I can’t when running a software project. Still, I enjoy both. Each type of project poses its own challenges.

Ah… and while I’m musing, there is one thing about physical labor projects that we should probably take into account with our less labor-intensive digital projects: taking time to rest. I’m skipping the hard labor of digging and moving so my body can recover. Make sure you allow time for a bit of recovery in your projects too.