It’s been a while since I’ve written a post, so I’m forcing myself to start making short updates (although short is difficult). I’ve been caught up in a line of projects since June where my free time has been slowly consumed whole with web applications and other things. There was an attempt to just take it easy and run a World of Warcraft guild, but that was short lived. That fleeting moment was enjoyed while it lasted. Hopefully I can pick it up again sometime, but it seems I need to focus on some other areas of my life and career before I can invest in leisure. I strive to bring the two together, but that is going to take time and more planning.

These past twelve months have been really interesting, and have given me some perspective. I got to experience projects as both a supporter and a leader, and while it hasn’t changed my opinions or position, it has made me appreciate how valuable communication, teamwork, and leadership are. This includes leaving the comfort of ones mind to understand another, as well as relying on trust when it is not possible to do so. Trust doesn’t mean abandoning communication, rather using a different mode. For example, communicating expectations, but leaving application to the other persons. It may sound simple, but shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The main project we worked on was successfully launched last month, followed by a rapid release of a sub-product a couple weeks later. It took a little over six months from technical planning to completed implementation. There were some interesting challenges. Firstly, this project had a hard deadline, which we typically don’t have. There was no room to push out milestones. Secondly, we started from scratch and with a completely custom framework (although later replaced). And lastly, our project lead fell ill mid-project at which point I took on the responsibility. Our team was amazing, and pulled through when defeat was all but inevitable. There was a sense of perseverance and tenacity held by everyone that made the project a success, without those attitudes we would have surely been behind by a good month, if not more.

Anyway, more updates to come. I’ll be adding some posts about the framework we implemented for this latest endeavour, along with some other stuff I’ve been meaning to post.