Nothing runs as planned and why you should have a plan anyways

Last Update: 06.08.2018. By Jens in Developers Life | Learning | Newsletter

Plans never work out.

Project plans.

Weekend plans.

Vacation plans.

Fitness plans.

Whatever.

Like my plans for the last two weeks. Didn’t work out. Spending time with my family and still figuring out some business stuff like how to continue. Instead, I got time with my family and a probably the hottest summer in recent years with up to 40° Celsius each day. Yeah nice weather, but we couldn’t move without sweating like a waterfall. So, the plan did go off rails and my business stuff too. Anyways, it’s back to school and work now so I am getting time for that. Which means I probably won’t be back at my regular schedule with you guys.

Anyways, coding projects are the same. Endless planning and how to do stuff. And then, when the plan hits reality, it breaks. Unforeseen stuff. Or ignored constraints.

Both led me to the conclusions that plans in the sense of classic project plans are senseless. They are too fixed and never reflect changes that will happen. Yeah, I hear you, the 20% time buffer. But this usually doesn’t work. Priorities change all the time. And situations too.

Should we never plan?

No.

I think plans are fine if they are not too detailed and able to adapt to changes fast. It is good to have one and it is good to know when to adapt or ditch it. Yet, for doing this, you need to have priorities in place.