My feelings journey in software development
Welcome to a ride along my feelings during a software development project.
After starting various projects, i have started noticing i enter a sort of “feelings” cycle that is often the same for each project.
Ofcourse not all projects are the same, but still i could recognize a few stages:
- The beginning
- Setup
- First features
- Opportunities
- The interest game
- The end of the beginning
Understanding these stages can provide valuable insights into the dynamics of a software project and may resonate with your own experiences. So, let’s embark on this emotional journey together!
The project journey
The beginning
It starts with an idea, the initial excitement to create a new product. Of course, it depends on whether it's your idea or if you're just executing it.
Nonetheless, you are excited to brainstorm the functionality and the possibilities of the product, and you note down every idea you have.
You visualize people using your product, and you can imagine it becoming successful.
You are now in a dreamy state where everything is possible.
Setup
After the initial excitement, you start the project with enthusiasm. You notice the first configuration and setup go well, and if you started with a base template, you could be up and running in no time.
But most of the time, there are some setup struggles. A small part in the configuration just won’t work, or your deployment doesn’t work as expected. You may feel slightly irritated or have the feeling that it’s best to stop, but you carry on anyway.
First features
But then it happens — the feeling of it starting to work. Your code improves, your features start to become more significant, and your product is coming alive.
The first features could take a bit more time and effort, but after establishing a routine, the development process accelerates.
Opportunities
After some time, new challenges arise. You had an initial idea, something you wanted to accomplish — call it an MVP in product terms. But now, we are at a stage where opportunities are everywhere. You have heard about some new tech trends or techniques that you could integrate, or other kinds of fancy features that are not the main purpose of your product but would be nice to have.
Another excitement pitfall is the optimization of everything, often referred to as premature optimization. It’s a nice feeling to make the code a bit more generic to reuse it “later” (kuch kuch). Or to make some API calls 200ms faster. I know, I know, a major difference. 😉
The interest game
After battling the distractions, we continue with the planned features. Now we experience some shifts in excitement. Some complex features grab your attention, and your excitement rises.
On the absolute opposite end, you see the simple features as quick wins where you added functionality to your product, with some wiggle room for just an extra addition to this simple feature.
The end of the beginning
Now you are nearing the end of the MVP, and the enthusiasm could be on the rise, or questions like “Is it as great as I thought?” pop into your head. Now it’s key to complete your MVP and make a sprint till the end, because this could be the point where you stop the project due to your earlier excitement being gone.
But if you make it through, you can be proud to show it to friends, colleagues, family, or anyone who’s interested or wants to use it. This last stage is the perfect opportunity to get some new input and excitement from others, and come up with new ideas resulting in new functionality.
Conclusion
In a new software project, excitement runs high, but there are stages when enthusiasm wanes, and the common pitfall is to give up.
However, if you persist in your journey, you’ll be able to look back with pride. Perhaps, with the help of feedback, this could be the start of an exciting new adventure
How do you feel when working on a project? Can you relate to these stages? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
