Rules of software engineering

Rules of software engineering:

- Be the guy who starts off the project. It doesn't take much, but most people find that difficult. It's well worth the effort.

- When stuck, always ask for help. When really stuck, do whatever you need to do to get that assistance. Never just sit there and think - that leads to other people not knowing what you're up to and though your solution may be correct, it does not work with the others.

- Do what you're good at first. You do no justice if you hog the parts you find hard, because chances are, somebody does it better than you.

- "Be patient and think through it." This is the most weird part - you're under all sorts of deadlines, but still have to be patient and thinking. Yet, it is precisely because your intuition cannot handle that "problem" that it becomes one.

- You can plan all you want, but from my experience, a string of difficulties will lead to unaccounted delays. So, you have to know what your capabilities are.