9.3 Backwards planning

(Under construction). You can use “backwards planning” not just for outlining the steps of your project (as described above) but also for creating a timeline for the project (not to mention many other planning tasks in life).

Start with the deadline and work backwards. Allow a chunk of time for all of the main steps you outlined for your project.

Everyone has their own personal scaling factor they can use to make their time estimates more accurate. You can start doing this for regular class assignments. Before you start a coding exercise, try estimating how long you think the coding exercise will take, and then keep track of the actual time. Ideally, exclude breaks and time spent/wasted checking TikTok.

It is easy to underestimate how much time you will spend on data preparation. Add extra time for data acquisition/cleaning/wrangling, especially if you are not already familiar with your data. It will probably take more time then you think.