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I used to think it was much easier to start coding out a problem before doing any sort of planning. My argument for this was that it gave me a hands-on understa
by DanM1217 5y ago
I used to think it was much easier to start coding out a problem before doing any sort of planning. My argument for this was that it gave me a hands-on understanding of the data/workflows/etc involved.
Now, the first thing I do is grab a piece of paper, map out what I do and don’t know, and fill in any knowledge gaps by asking questions. It still isn’t second nature for me, but I think it’s something worth prioritizing.
- MaulingMonkey 5y ago"Unknown unknowns" - often about oddball limitations of the codebase or it's dependencies - limit my ability to enumerate what I don't know, and planning is often used as an excuse to get trapped in analysis paralysis (by myself included!) Which isn't to say there's not plenty of room for inquery, questions, and planning, but don't underestimate the value of bulldozing through problems. (That said, this has caused me to step on the toes of fellow contributors to a project without realizing it.)
- scollet 5y agoThere's room for both. For instance, I run a hypothesis against the system and fill out those gaps in my understanding (napkin, whatever); implement a vertical slice; adapt for the known unknowns.