I'm starting a new project now, and I thought it might be worth while to blog how I'm starting out.

I started with the initial requirements, and then just let them sit in my head for a day or two. Just thinking about the abstract concepts and trying things out without actually having to put something on paper or keyboard.

Then I created a new project in VS, and started with the class diagram. I just put down a single class and several interfaces, and a few methods. I am using this to focus my thoughts, and there isn't any code that I have written there. Then I opened a word document and start putting down the assumptions.

Those can be high level stuff like "The service will have its own dedicate database" to low level things like "A task will not hold a thread for an extended periods of time". I don't write why those are important, it is not important now. What is important is to figure out the constraints that I am going to work with, and what I assumptions I decide will drive the architecture.

Then I usualy either walk and mutter to myself, or blog about it ( :-) ) about something, and let things fall into shape. I find that putting things to words, either via texts or speaking them out loud helps me organize my thoughts into coherent structures. This is part of the reason that I blog. It keeps me organize.

I usually consider what tools I need to do the work, and what tools I can bend to make my job easier. Active Record is an awesome rule processor, if you know look at it just right. And Windsor is the ultimate configuration manager that you can want.

The next step is to create a test project, and write the first test. This can take a while. I'm futzing with ideas, and I am never sure what direction I will take the project. This is usually one of the hardest part for the project, because there are too many possiblities. I can spend quite a bit of time trying things out, either in code or in diagrams.

At that point I then start coupling my design, so it would actually be usable. This means that I go from things like ICommand to IFileCommand, because that needs the file it works on, etc. Once I reach this point, I have no more reasons to procrascinate and I need to start writing the actual application :-)