Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.

– Dwight D. Eisenhower

Something we started at Hudl shortly before I left taught me this, but I never had the fun quote to match it until recently.

We had something we called “Design Reviews” that a developer would do before starting work on a new feature. The developer would write an internal blog post detailing the problem, the proposed solution, and alternative solutions the developer discarded. When it was complete, it was posted publicly for other developers to read and make comments and suggestions. The power of these Design Reviews wasn’t from the comments and suggestions as you might think. It came from preparing and writing the blog post.

As an indie for two months now, I realize I’m not taking my opportunities to plan like I should. This is a reminder to myself to spend a little extra time planning before tackling a new feature. I don’t need to write down the plan or show it to anyone, but the act of planning will be a significant boost over what I’ve been doing lately.