Paper or Software?

[scru]

Just interested in how everyone does their project planning.

[jbennet]

both. I usually do database system so i:

bulletpoint inportant facts
sketch out a basic flowchart of what happens in the system
sketch out what tables i need
sketch out a basic data dictioanary first
sketch out a basic ERD

then i go into MS access (even if i am not using it for the final thing, its good for checking if its feasible) and make a very basic prototype and some test data

then i begin the proper paperwork.

[jwenting]

a brain to think up things, a notebook and pencil to write them down.
The best ideas come in bed, in the car, in the train, while hiking the woods, in all the places you just don't have a computer ready.
Besides, picking up pencil and notebook is a lot quicker than booting up a laptop, starting VI or Word, finding and opening the file to edit, editing it, and closing everything down again.

[Salem]

A lot of the initial (and small-scale) stuff happens on paper and white boards.

[Dani]

I don't know what paper is?

[jbennet]

lol

[Infarction]

I usually start on a whiteboard, and then save the good stuff on either paper or a text document. But the brainstorming, writing then erasing, all tends to happen on a whiteboard as much as I can.

[jbennet]

yeah

i like protyping too. No point doing loads of paperwork and then finding that its flawed.

[Ancient Dragon]

IBM -- Its Better Manually.

[vegaseat]

I don't know what paper is?

Paper is the stuff you can make paper airplanes with.

[GrimJack]

Besides, picking up pencil and notebook is a lot quicker than booting up a laptop, starting VI or Word, finding and opening the file to edit, editing it, and closing everything down again.

Wow, I haven't seen mention of VI for years and years.

What is the editor of the Beast?
VI VI VI

That joke still slays me.

[jbennet]

only time i use VI is when X crashes I prefer nano myself.

Anyone got any opinions on the MS tools? visio? project?

[scru]

I use a little green notebook and MS Word. As you can imagine it's very cumbersome. A great deal of my time is spent designing xml schemas, and, well, neither is what I would call suitable for the job.

I have never actually tried any software tool designed to do this for me.

[jwenting]

I don't know what paper is?

It's that stuff you get from social services telling you to turn in proof of your efforts to find a job or loose your social security :)

[bumsfeld]

That handy round roll of paper is indispensable! I have not seen any software to replace it properly.

[linux]

That handy round roll of paper is indispensable! I have not seen any software to replace it properly.

I heard the iPhone has a replacement for that.

[jbennet]

alternatively use the the MS EULA

[jwenting]

only time i use VI is when X crashes I prefer nano myself.

Anyone got any opinions on the MS tools? visio? project?

I use VI(M) every day, it's my standard text editor.

Never could get the hang of Visio, give me pencil and paper instead.
And Project is for project managers with too much time on their hand.

[bumsfeld]

I heard the iPhone has a replacement for that.

Wiping yourself with the iPhone? Isn't that rather unsanitary?

[jwenting]

Wiping yourself with the iPhone? Isn't that rather unsanitary?

maybe, but I can't think of anything else an iPhone would be even marginally useful for...

[jbennet]

iPoop

[Lardmeister]

iPoop

Smart answer there moderator jbennet, but I am sure it's already been trademarked by Apple..