Keeping scope focused - how unclear goals kill projects
Source: Dev.to
“Would our users like it if we added X?”
A seemingly harmless and straightforward question. We want to provide value, so why not implement a new feature?
This is the poison pill a project takes until it reaches a point of paralysis, and eventually gets abandoned.
The MVP that’s lost in the ocean
Let’s say you are building a todo app. The goal is clear: give the user a list, let them check boxes, and hide the completed tasks away.
The team meets up, everyone starts working on their tasks. The week passes.
You gather around a table again. A brilliant idea is proposed: “let’s make the list collaborative.”
Everyone forgets what they fought for the whole week – the focus shifts to collaboration.
The plan is reshaped: MVP will be collaborative.
When the requirements change…
At an early stage like this, you have to rethink what you are trying to accomplish. Each new requirement stacks up complexity.
Original (non‑collaborative) requirements
- A single database table for todos
- Maybe another table for users if you wanted to sync
- A user interface that consists of maybe 1–2 views
What collaboration adds
- A server becomes unavoidable
- Authentication is required, and you also need access control
- Who has what permission in which list?
- Invite/share flow?
- The original designs need a share UI
- Real‑time updates must be reflected
Week 3
Collaboration isn’t implemented yet; the tickets sit on the tracker, but “enthusiasm” remains.
Everyone wants to create the perfect task‑tracking app. The focus drifts again: next week it’s about implementing a kanban board, status fields, custom properties, Gantt charts, and by the end of the meeting you’ve gone from a simple to‑do list to reinventing Jira.
You peek at the backlog: 39 tasks, all gray.
Only one ticket closed in a full week: “add login UI”.
Because progress stalls, the team burns out and the project is abandoned.
But we were gonna add AI?
No, you won’t.
Your requirements should not change in the first week of development. That’s like planting onions in a field of roses because “onions got expensive.”
Prescription for your next project
- Before writing any code, set your requirements clearly.
- Don’t make them excessively detailed, but ensure the core value proposition won’t change the next day.
- Define a roadmap for the MVP and stick to it.
- Don’t add new features until you launch.
- Don’t rush the MVP either.
- Skipped tests will haunt you later.
- Capture extra ideas on a whiteboard to revisit after launch.
Your project deserves to shine, and your time shouldn’t go to waste. Don’t let scope creep kill it.