Are you a budding tech enthusiast striving to embark on your first major project? Allow me to share insights and mistakes my small team and I made when we tried to develop a social media web app; that focuses on mental health up keep; as our first ever real tech project under a deadline.
Simply put, our initial missteps were evident. The lack of comprehensive planning led us down a path of uncertainty and constant alterations. As a team of learners, our decision-making process was often disturbed with constant revisions either because of time or our lack of knowledge with a certain technology, resulting in us deploying a more simplified Minimal Viable Product (MVP) than envisioned.
The Mistakes Made:
Our journey was filled with challenges, notably stemming from poor planning, limited time and limited knowledge. when we were writing the website requirements and initial documentation, we had no idea how big the project we planned out actually was as it couldn’t be completed within the timeframe. The problem was that our proposed MVP was not an MVP!!! So because the realization came mid-development, we found ourselves constantly refactoring code and revisiting the documentation we wrote before coding which was a big hit to our pace coupled with the fact that we also had to learn new technologies on the fly. All that slowed down our pace and wasted a part of the given timeframe for the project.
So What Should you do to Avoid This Setback?
Plan, it sounds so simple but should be done properly. You should always settle on a small MVP before reaching for the stars. Thoroughly define what features you need for the MVP, how you are going to implement them and whatever technology you would like to use.
Know your short comings, especially when there’s a deadline to meet. As a beginner in tech you should always step back and look at yourself to see if your skills are enough to tackle your project, if not i advise dividing your project into small bits so you can learn and develop on the fly. If you are working on a team, set roles and responsibilities of each member based on your strengths and use project management tools like trello to streamline and enhance team communication and workflow.
These two points alone should be helpful enough to any beginner techies out there.
The essence of meticulous planning, the efficacy of starting small with an MVP, and the paramount role of communication within team projects. I urge you to take note of these lessons and learn from them for your own tech ventures, be it solo or collaborative and let these insights propel you towards excellence in your tech odyssey.
Oh and check out the desktop MVP social media app at Ikiru. Feedback is appreciated, Thank you.
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