Prior to my first industry job, no one could tell me that I was not knowledgeable about project management. I really believed that I understood many of its concepts and had the ability to use them effectively. Breaking into the industry opened my eyes to true project management and the effectiveness of deadlines.
The Solo Project
For a very long time, I have had an idea create an unique RPG battle system. If my friends are reading this, they probably just sighed (I don't blame them) since they have heard about this unfinished product for years (yes, I said 'years'). I was the lone programmer on this project and worked at an unrealistic pace. There was no sense of urgency. Deadlines were unnecessary since I was the lone person on the project. That kind of thinking was a big mistake. It resulted in a product that has no traction.
A Boy in a Man's World
During the project's 'no traction' phase, I was fortunate to get a career start at EA Sports working on NBA Live 13. At that place, knowledge was a locomotive and I was no Superman as I could only grab hold of some bits of knowledge. Though I fell off the train, I was not the least bit disappointed as my eyes were starting to see the light of professional game production. It helped me understand the meaning of having deadlines and how urgency helps push the product toward completion.
Revival
I revived this project again after gaining the some knowledge and great experience from EA. Additionally, I gain more and more understanding from my current company on a daily basis. After a redesign of the original idea, I have committed to 3 week sprints and hold myself accountable to the fullest. Each sprint contains an iterative goal to strive for and succeed. Failure is okay. However, I look at that failure in retrospect and make necessary adjustments to succeed in the next sprint. Embrace deadlines. Allow urgency to push you to a finished product.
