Does a one-man project need a formal project management process?
Hello!
Today, I'd like to share my perspective on formal project management for small to medium-sized projects, using Secutils.dev as an example. When starting a new project, it's often driven by a spark of inspiration or a strong desire to solve a specific issue for yourself or a group of people. At this early stage, formality can be a distraction and drain motivation quickly. You have a clear vision of what needs to be done, and adding unnecessary formalities can hinder progress.
Initially, things may go smoothly without a formal project management process. You create functional prototypes, launch an MVP with a catchy domain name, and receive positive feedback from early users. However, over time, the excitement from these achievements can diminish, and internal motivation alone may not be enough to drive the project forward. This is a natural human tendency, and it's important to recognize it. If you're satisfied with your project in its current state, or if it was originally intended as a short-term fun project and you're ready to move on to something new, that's perfectly fine. You should absolutely embrace the joy of building and exploring new ideas.
However, if you want to advance a more complex project and still maintain sufficient motivation, I believe it's essential to adopt a different strategy. The strategy I'm going to discuss next involves incorporating a bit of formal project management to keep yourself on track, sustain progress, and avoid the disappointment of yet another unfinished project.