Software development is more than just making stuff. There’s a fair bit of planning that goes into it.

Starting my current project, I attacked the problem from all sides. I figured out all the code needed to create my final solution. Then, I sat down and jotted down a jumbled mess of code onto a piece of paper (which I managed to hold onto).

Messy as it was, I referenced it quite a bit as I switched into the coding process. Everything went great, and I managed to avoid hitting any walls. And then the rework started.

Methods I wrote needed sudden changes, I had to do more research, test code repeatedly, and even though it didn’t bother me at first, I was wasting a lot of time.

I rushed to start working and didn’t create an appropriate roadmap. Towards the end, as I started figuring things out, I took some time to write an outline of the remaining work. Then I went back and added the parts I already completed. Later, I turned my outline into a series of tickets on a Trello board.

Trello boards organize features and tasks way better than I did keeping track in my brain (or on a piece of paper). If I want to review a specific task, I can search the board using custom labels and locate my work. Not to mention, github integration allows for tracking commits and merges without having to switch between reviewing the repo and looking at the board.

This is critical for my future career in development. Working on teams of people requires programmers to visualize their work. This ensures everyone is aware of what the other hand is doing and prevents multiple people from accidentally working on the same task. I’m glad I took the time to set up a Trello board. I’ll definitely keep doing this in the future.

-CF