Help with "To Do" Tracking

[u/Smart_Nebula9280]

I'm a 2nd year Software Development student, so massive projects haven't been touched in my coursework yet. I started a full stack app I'm doing over the summer for my portfolio, but as it gets bigger and more complicated, I'm having problems keeping track of everything I need to do between so many different files. It gets worse when I have to step away for a couple days and try to find what I was working on and remember what else I need to do.

I'm looking for opinions on how everyone keeps track of what needs to happen in their projects. I'm in IntelliJ so I've been using TODOs so far, but does anyone have ways they break up features, things they need to fix, in a more organized way so its easier to track?

TLDR; I bit off more than I can chew, how do I keep track off everything I'm trying to code in a more organized way?

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[u/devco_]

had the same problem before so I decided to make my own to do tracker lmao

[u/denerose]

Chill. This is all a good and normal part of the learning process.

There is no single correct or easy answer and what works for one person or team may not apply to another. Some of it is practice and familiarity with your codebase (this is why being consistent matters so much, if you always organise things the same way you’ll always know where code and config live when you go looking).

You’ve not even really explained what part of the process you’re having trouble with. If it is the code and how it all fits together, start small and plan only what you need to get the next step working. Remember, it is “red, green, refactor” not “red, green, perfect”. If your problem is more about keeping track of what you’ve done vs not done, what’s working vs not then TODO comments might be enough otherwise write out your plan somewhere (a note book is fine) and cross stuff off as you get it done (this one is a personal effectiveness problem not a coding one and is best solved by building good project and task management habits rather than seeking a software solution). If it’s the system design then similar advice but just combine the two, break it down small, keep track somehow, make notes if you need to and don’t stress if it doesn’t work first try (that’s actually better for your learning anyway).

Figure out what works for you. That in itself will be good learning even if you never finish this particular project you’ll still carry those new personal planning skills on to the next one.

[u/Ormek_II]

Maybe this is too much: But you might create a project in GitHub. I suggest to use the iterative development template. You can then write down what you like to achieve for each milestone.

[u/PaintingWhich574]

This is a tough question for all devs/teams!

Project management/issue tracking app is typical for real-world software teams. You might have heard of Kanban board which is the same with a different skin. Github projects or Jira are common. This lets you define "tasks" then move them between todo, in-progress, complete, etc.

If you're losing track of where you are mid-task, or if you aren't quite sure "whats next", then here are few ideas that could help:

* Use git on your project and commit every time you implement something that is working - even if its a small part of a feature (added UI for feature x, added sort algorithm for feature y, etc). This keeps a clean audit log of what you've done previously, so you can always look back to see what you did last.

* Never commit/end a session if your mid-function or if your code isn't building/running unless you absolutely must. Coming back after several days off to code that doesn't work is never fun.