Some Project Patterns for my team inspired by some 37signals practices.

1. Project Patterns
Breaking practices
By Fred Lee
(with tons of inspiration from 37signals)

2. Project Patterns
General concepts we shall adhere to
Not hard and fast rules
Good projects are flexible and adaptable.
We shall take responsibility
Live for nothing, or die for something.

3. Reject mediocre requirements

4. Interpretation 101
screenshot != requirements

5. Documents
this == Time.lots == Change.lots == Time.waste

6. Touch Stakeholders
touch => agreement == happy == awesome

7. Challenge “need”

8. “need”, really?
“Everyone else is doing it.”
“The old system did it that way.”
“In order to . . .”
“It should be easy, so . . .”
“Eva Longoria is wearing Uggs.”
“The Macbook Air is so light.”

9. Need
this == Feature.creep == Project.done.never

10. Decisions are temporary

11. Break it down
Fear == Application.bad

12. Break it down when
It smells
Can’t remember why
It can’t be broughten up (yeah, that’s a word)

13. Focus on what does not
change

14. Death and Taxes
99.99% sure

15. What won’t change
Performance and Speed
Good UI
Good design
Client’s core business functions
Desire to make a lot of money

16. Remove abstractions

17. Abstractions
Documents
Drawings
PS prototypes
Emails
Meetings
Discussions

18. Wood block => awesome
Get to the point faster: IDEO and rapid
prototyping

19. Project Patterns

20. Wrap it up
Reject mediocre requirements
Challenge “need”
Decisions are temporary
Focus on what does not change
Remove abstractions

21. The Fix: Agile Practices
Requirements, “needs”, and what does not change
Behavior Driven Development (BDD)
Features
Stories
Scenarios
Specs
Temporary Decisions
Short, short, short iterations
Remove Abstractions
Rapid prototypes