When creating a project for your portfolio it is important to not just dive head-first into development. With a little bit of project planning, you can introduce a framework that will help you track your progress, record your decisions and manage the scope of your project.
A simple project can be broken down into four phases:
- Research & Requirements
- Analysis & Design
- Development & Testing
- Deployment & Review
Each of these phases is responsible for a distinct aspect of the project and together they tell the whole story of the application’s inception.
Research & Requirements
In this phase you should explore existing applications that are popular and similar to the application you want to make. Identify the common themes, processes and components that these applications are composed of and that you want to replicate. Produce a Requirements list that records all of the features your application should have to be considered complete.
Analysis & Design
In this phase you should identify the various entities that exist within your application, and define the relationships that should exist between them. Create a Schema so that you can build a database to store and manage this information. Produce a mockup of your application that brings the entities to life in a potential implementation.
Development & Testing
In this phase you should the combine the chosen tools and frameworks to build your application. Model your entities/relationships in a database, and pull this information through to an application front-end. Implement features such as authentication and CRUD, and test your progress using dedicated testing libraries.
Deployment & Review
In this phase you should deploy your application to a suitable host on the internet. Make sure you can access your application remotely and from your phone, and make sure it displays as expected. Refine your code through refactoring and optimisation, and add a link to the finalised project to your portfolio page.
🛈 The full code for this ASP.NET Core Identity app, including the test suite, can be found on my GitHub.
A disciplined approach to application development that involves project planning will improve the overall quality of your deliverables and the speed at which they are produced, and will provide a record of information to reference in future projects and share with employers.