[eluser]darkhouse[/eluser]
I've been a web developer for the better part of a decade now, working with all sizes of businesses in countless projects. However, I have no formal training and so I really don't know what the best method of going from planning to deployment is when developing an application. I've been using CodeIgniter for almost a year now, and it's wonderful. I don't know how I got by without it before. It has greatly decreased development time.
My current (simplified) strategy is this:
1. I usually have a checklist of things that need to be done, client wishlist, etc.
2. I figure out what will be required and then write out my database structure and relations on paper, which often gets modified through out development - if I happen to save the paper after I create the database.
3. I then build the initial html template(s) (I receive photoshop files from the design department) and then implement the CodeIgniter framework. I usually have a backend so I get that going as well, with user authentication, etc.
4. The next step is developing the various pages, features, and anything that needs to be controlled in the admin backend.
5. Then it's usually just testing, debugging and client changes until it's all complete.
6. Once everything is approved, we launch.
So, that pretty much sums up my current development strategy from planning to deployment. I think everything from step 3 and on is good, it's really just the planning phase that I'm not comfortable with. I'm sure there are better ways that I should be adopting to the way my team and I work. Currently, the database structure is entirely my responsibility - but what if someone, either a client or a colleague, wants to see how I've planned everything out before I start? This actually happened recently, but the client was content in receiving a .sql file with the data structure.
I would love to hear what other developers do, how things are supposed to work. Maybe my entire strategy is wrong, I'm open to new ideas and strategies.
Happy Holidays.
