Side Project Roadmap Preview

I’ve been working on a project recently that I’ve started calling a side project roadmap. This is the first chapter, or section of that guide.

Introduction

Side projects have consistently impressed me with their potential and impact throughout my career. They can serve as a powerful means to secure new job opportunities, acquire fresh skills, generate additional income, and even evolve into fully-fledged businesses.
In crafting this roadmap, my goal is to assist individuals who encounter challenges in planning or executing their side projects or specific phases thereof. The guidance presented here is meant to be suggestive rather than prescriptive, recognizing that each project is unique and not bound by strict rules.
I firmly believe that the value of a project lies in its ability to achieve the creator’s objectives. Whether it’s a simple hello world app deployed with Docker or a revenue-generating Twitter tool, both are equally valid in my eyes.

Clearly outline the objectives for your side project, which may include mastering a new technology, building an impressive portfolio, solving a specific problem, or exploring a personal interest.
Your primary consideration should be to identify your desired outcome from the side project. Here are some initial thoughts to guide you:
- Learning a new technology
- Building or enhancing your portfolio
- Addressing a particular problem
- Exploring a personal interest

Generate a range of project ideas based on your passions, skills, and market demands. Evaluate each idea’s feasibility, potential impact, and scalability.
Depending on your defined goals, you may choose to omit this step.
If you seek inspiration, start by listing 3-4 of your interests or hobbies. For each of these items, identify at least 2 related activities or actions. By doing so, you will have generated 6-8 potential app ideas!

Review your list and select the idea that excites you the most or aligns best with your objectives. Consider the complexity and time commitment required for each idea. Once you feel comfortable with your choice, you have found your project.

With your project idea in hand, proceed to define its features. Begin by listing individual pieces of functionality. If feasible, break these features down into smaller components that could be released incrementally.

Having determined your feature list, you can now plan a rough timeline or prioritize features. The focus here is on developing a “Minimum Viable Product” (MVP). It is entirely acceptable to start with a single core feature and release that initially.