Pen on clean whiteboard.
Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
11–20 of 46 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#12I answer the question "Am I passionate enough about this to put at least 3 months in it knowing that it is more likely to fail than succeed?"
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#13mkdir new_project && cd new_project git init .
Add the project to gitolite.conf
git remote add origin git@FQDN.com:new_project.git
git push origin master
git config branch.master.remote origin
git config branch.master.merge refs/heads/masterRe: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#14BustAName.com
Not that this is really the most important, it just helps me wrap my head around it if I can start calling it something.
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#15express
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#16Speaking as somebody who generally plays a lead BD role vs. programming (but I'm assuming this question is a level higher than programming, with project being a startup).
1) Ask why people would use it (problem)
2) Figure out who would buy it (exact names, contacts)
3) Rough Wireframes, 5 slide pitch deck
4) That's all I need to meet with customers and get orders. I won't move forward until orders are secured and signed.
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#17I turn on my Boards of Canada Pandora station and do a bunch of research. Jot some ideas down. Think about who would use it.
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#18Try to figure out if it already exists or if there are open source softwares I can use to get there faster.
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#19I usually forget it for a few days. I have a lot of ideas that seem really great when I first think of them, but after a few days thinking about something else I realize that the original idea was stupid and think of something else! If I have an idea that still seems worthwhile after a week, then I know I might be on to something.
Re: Ask HN: What is the first thing you do before starting a new project?
#20An old friend of mine always says that before starting a new project, he has to get really bored. That is, he has to make sure he spends a period of time doing nothing interesting. That way, when he starts the project he has nothing else on his mind distracting him.
I can't say I've ever done this myself, but actually, now that I think about it, maybe I should. I tend to keep too many balls in the air to focus well on one thing.