There are multiple challenges to building a successful software project, most importantly asking questions early. Sometimes we get lost in the fog of war or we may have multiple responsibilities inside or outside of work. Broadcasting your needs is the first step to showing not only your needs for your project, but gathering requirements. If this does not happen your project can get lost in the weeds, and get stuck on incongruent bug fixes that don’t focus on the big picture of the project.

One good step is set goals early on and ask questions early to see if these questions make sense. Now it happens often that your team may disagree with your approach or possibly you did not communicate why you are doing it in a certain way. You need to be determined and really react with patience and also be a good listener, as your intentions may not always broadcast what you need. You need to be clear and concise, and potentially focus on the main functions of the project rather than small features that can be added later on.

With that said, building a successful project really means asking early, failing early, and moving on from there.