Project Planning

Welcome to Day 7—the finish line is in sight! Before coding your final project, you’ll outline the experience, map the features, and decide how to split the work into manageable steps. Solid planning keeps the build phase smooth and focused.

Step 1: Define the Goal

• What problem does your app solve?
• Who is the audience (e.g., learners, hobbyists, remote teams)?
• What should someone accomplish in under five minutes?

Write a one-sentence mission statement such as “A habit tracker that lets learners log victories each day.”

Step 2: Choose Core Features

List the essentials for a functional MVP:

• Data you’ll display or collect (todos, goals, notes, stats).
• Interactions (adding items, filtering, marking complete).
• Feedback elements (progress bars, alerts, summaries).

Highlight the three must-haves—everything else is a stretch goal.

Step 3: Sketch the Interface

• Quickly sketch or wireframe the main screens.
• Identify the layout: header, navigation, content sections, modals.
• Note components you already built in previous days (cards, lists, badges).

Focus on structure over detail. A rough sketch helps you plan DOM structure and CSS.

Step 4: Plan the Data Model

• What arrays or objects will you need?
• How will you identify items (e.g., id, slug)?
• Do you need derived data like totals or filtered lists?

Draft sample JSON to visualize the structure you’ll render.

Step 5: Break Down Tasks

Create a checklist covering:

1. Static HTML structure
2. Styling the layout
3. Seeding example data
4. Wiring DOM updates
5. Adding event handlers
6. Polishing details (empty states, accessibility, responsiveness)

Each item should be small enough to finish in a single sitting.

Step 6: Identify Risks

• Unknown APIs or libraries you need to research
• Complex interactions (drag-and-drop, timers)
• Time-intensive styling or asset gathering

Flag these early so you can simplify or prototype quickly.

Step 7: Define Success Criteria

• What must work before you demo? (e.g., “Users can add, edit, and mark tasks as done.”)
• What stretch goal would impress, but isn’t required?
• How will you know the UI feels polished? (responsive layout, keyboard support, clear visuals)

Document these criteria to track progress realistically.

Project Worksheet

Use this template to capture your plan:

Mission:
Audience:
Core Features:
Data Model Sketch:
UI Sections:
Task Checklist:
Risks & Mitigations:
Stretch Goals:

Fill it out in your notes app or as comments in your project files.

Key Takeaways

• ✅ Define the user outcome before writing code.
• ✅ Limit scope to a small set of core features for the MVP.
• ✅ Map data structures and UI sections to avoid redesign mid-build.
• ✅ Turn the plan into a checklist so you can track wins throughout Day 7.

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🎯 Quick Check

1. What’s the primary goal your project delivers to users?
2. Which three features are non-negotiable for your MVP?
3. How will you represent your data in JavaScript?
4. What risks do you need to watch out for during development?

Next lesson: translate your plan into a polished user interface. 🎨