2022-06-16
By finding an aspect of the project you can be proud of, you can enjoy working on something you don’t care about and set up the project for future success.
Find your ___?
- pride point
- champion
- passion project
- Intake
- Do and document
- Post-project
- Review existing materials
- How to find your Thing
- List the things you could do better
- Make it a learning opportunity
- Replicate with your chosen methods.
- Are there maps? Make the maps. Are there plots? Make the plots.
- If you cannot replicate it, why?
- “Documenatation is a love letter to your future self” - Damien Conway
- document all the things
- use in-line code comments
- write long-form narratives describing processes
- focus on reproducibility
- Pay attention not only to the how, but the why
- How: We used data from the DOT to estimate truck volume.
- Why: DOT data is the industry standard, freely available, and reliable.
- Take breaks and celebrate the small wins along the way.
- Use version control and a git GUI to manage your workflow and track changes over time.
- Make sure the project is actually dead. Don’t rush to get a death certificate.
- Gather and synthesize communications and significant decisions. Again, focus on the why
- Write your love letter
- What does the next person who touches this project need to know?
- Use sassy footnotes and emoji (within reason)
- Share opinions and suggestions for improvement.