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It’s finally time to rewrite that program that everyone is using. You know it’s been overdue for a while. You have some great ideas that you know will make it better, faster, more secure, right? You’ve been putting it off because you know it’s a big job. But now you have time, why don’t you dive right in? Rewriting your code is a really good exercise anyways, there are so many ways to do the same thing, improvement is just waiting for you to take a stab at it. But before you do, let’s go over a few steps to make the new app better and not worse.

Step 1

Look at all the things your current app does, and how other apps relate to it. Enumerate each separate subset. Make sure you completely understand your current (working) program. You know you may just scrap the whole thing, and start over, but MAKE SURE before you do it.

Step 2

Go over all the additional features you will add. Put your ideas down on paper, snap them in and out of place like your favorite Lego’s when you were a kid. Try to flesh out what the new app will do differently, before you start coding. Who knows maybe you can hold it all in your head.

Step 3

Make a formal plan. Write an outline, draw a diagram, start the documentation. Do whatever you can to make sure that when you start going, the next objective is clear. You believe in divide and conquer, do it. Our goals are what inspire us and keep us moving forward. Make sure the pathway to those goals is in your sights and the steps are well delineated.