I received an email the other day from a guy named Adam, criticizing my method of “running this project”. I think it was meant to be constructive criticism, but I totally disagree with everything Adam said. Adam’s email was fairly long, but the following quotes from the email pretty much sums up the entire message:

“Your approach to running this project is haphazard at best. Based on your inability to plan out your project, it is highly unlikely that you and your wife will ever succeed with your business venture. Although your application idea sounds like a good one, from what I’ve read so far, I believe your only success will be in creating a disaster application that nobody wants, and it will likely take you years to release your first version.”

Adam also mentions his thoughts on what I should do to fix my “disaster”:

“I recommend you read up on project management (there are lots of great resources on the web) and return to what should have been your project initiation stage. Start documenting what it is you are trying to create, and do not begin engineering the product until you have finalized your design documents. I work for a Fortune 500 company for many years that uses these project methods on a regular basis and our projects are extremely successful.”

I know Adam was just trying to help in suggesting that I use some of those well defined project management methods. What he doesn’t realize though is that I also work for a Fortune 500 company at my day-job, and I am very familiar with project management. Oh my God, am I familiar with it.

Why does Adam think a project of this scope should have to create a project plan? And at what point is a project small enough that it doesn’t require that type of discipline? Maybe he’s missed some of my posts on this web site where I explain that my team consists of 2 people, my wife and myself. Should Kate create a project plan and watch over me like a hawk to make sure I stay on schedule? Do we need to formalize a budget and have a follow up meeting to agree that we have no money in our budget?

Part of what makes doing this whole “project” business for me so therapeutic is the fact that I don’t have to follow any of those standards that I don’t wish to. We are our own bosses. If we want to bend or break our own rules, we can. I don’t need to go before a steering committee to explain why I am missing a scope definition document.

I suppose someone could argue that if we intended to sell the company once it was profitable, having all this documentation in place would be great. But we are not building this thing with the intent to sell. And I don’t have that kind of time to waste on documentation that may never be seen.

As far as the likelihood of releasing an application within the next couple of years, I totally disagree on that prediction also. I want to have a working product available to the public in just a few months (and by mentioning that here, I think I’ve just committed to that goal).

Adam, if you had sent me an email that said “hey, you’re doing a great job”, I would have just been polite, replied “thanks!” and moved on. But this email of yours has instead energized me to prove you wrong. I am going to kick butt in the next couple of months and succeed. I will have an application available to the public in less than three months, I will be making a profit before the end of the year, and I will not create a project plan.

And Adam, I hope you read this post and recognize that I am not just ignoring you and being polite when I email you the following message…”Thanks!”