Software planning is broken 😢.

If you've been in the tech industry long enough, you've likely experienced the pain that comes from being forced to answer the question...

How long will this feature take?

Vague terms and squeezed timelines have led to an industry of complex tools and frameworks.

This complexity only increases the gap between expected timelines and reality. Stressed environments and productive environments. Happy devs and sad devs.

Are accurate timelines even possible?

Short answer, no.

But there is a ton of potential to limit the downside of missing milestones by months and months.

That is where this template comes in.

Is there a simpler way?

What if all teams followed a simple and consistent process any time work needed planning?

And better yet, what if that process forced everyone to ask the same questions and define terms in the same way?

And even better yet, what if all the answers to those questions were directly mapped to days?

And not just random days, but a range of days that represented the most realistic view possible of what lies ahead so teams, stakeholders, and executives could all operate with the same level of information so strategic decisions could be made faster and better?

Do I have your attention? Keep reading...

What is in this template?

I created a simple process for kicking off any conversation around scoping a new software project.

Here's what you'll get:

• Each step guides you through completing the plan as an individual or in a team.
• Each step builds off the last with the result is a fully formed plan with estimated day ranges for when the work will get completed broken down by category.
• Each step is fully customizable to fit your team's needs.
• You'll learn the "Complexity and Uncertainty" framework which will be the only thing you ever need to uncover the truth behind any task or piece of work.
• The final step gives you a modular database with your completed software plan that can be easily exported into whatever format your team likes to work with most.
• I'm still refining my approach to the art of project planning, so I will always be sure to update this as I learn more.

Who am I?

My name is Jeff Jakinovich. I've been a dev for over six years and I was a consultant and project manager before starting on my dev journey so I know the pain of this problem from both sides of the work.

Complexity annoys the heck out of me so I aim to use the Jeff Builds Tech umbrella to build useful tools that simplfiy work and help people get more done with less stress.

If that sounds cool, you can follow my journey using any of the following:

• Website
• Twitter
• LinkedIn