Here’s a little story about how a regular developer became all of the sudden a lead developer without any previous experience on the field, with so much doubts, a lot of questions in the head and just one goal…make the things done. So, no more chit chat, here is it.
With over six years of experience in web development, I have developed a comprehensive skill set that enables me to adeptly handle front-end development tasks. However, during this time, there was one project that presented a significant challenge. It involved a client from an insurance company (although regrettably, I cannot recall the specific name), who approached us with a request to create a custom solution to replace their existing Salesforce system. They deemed the annual license cost of $200k to be prohibitively expensive and opted to engage our company, where I was working at the time, to develop an alternative solution.
The initial task appeared straightforward: develop a web application to manage users and operations. However, the challenge arose when I was assigned as the lead for the front-end development. This was unfamiliar territory for me; in previous projects, I had been the recipient of onboarding processes, knowledge transfers, and documentation reviews. This time, however, I had to take the initiative and create my own starting point.
To overcome this challenge, I began by compiling a list of open-source projects renowned for their comprehensive documentation. Drawing inspiration from projects like Bootstrap, I crafted a detailed README file for our project and documented every aspect of setting up the development environment. I transferred this knowledge to a Confluence page for easy reference.
As new team members joined the project, I conducted one-on-one sessions with each of them to ensure that the documentation was clear and comprehensive. I encouraged feedback on the project structure, documentation, and code guidelines, fostering a collaborative environment where every team member’s input was valued.
Despite initial apprehensions, this approach proved successful. By leveraging existing resources, fostering open communication, and valuing team input, we created a robust project with thorough documentation, strong code guidelines, and an intuitive project structure that benefited everyone involved.
And the questions remains, it was a good approach? Did I do well enough? Did I show what I was made of? Did I accomplish everything I thought I was doing? I think I’ll never know, someone told me it was a very good job and I just feel sometimes (thanks imposter syndrome) that was being polite. What I’m really sure of is that I did my best and put all my effort on it, I feel proud of myself, I feel more than proud of what I was able to achieve, it was an amazing challenge and face it like a pro, embrace it and went all the way for it and I loved it, I’ll do it hundred more times if I have to. So, if there’s an opportunity out there for me like this one once again then you can count on me.
Web developer with over ~6 years of experience. I am a highly motivated and results-oriented developer with a passion for creating scalable and user-friendly web applications. I am recently exploring the world of blogging, hoping to share some of my experience in this exciting and ever-evolving journey of development.