How Great Engineers Plan Before They Build websites and apps

If you’ve ever tried to build something—an app, a project, even a school assignment—you’ve probably made this mistake:

You jump in, start doing things… and later realize you missed something big.

Now you’re fixing problems, redoing work, or worse—starting over.

Great engineers avoid that. They don’t just start building. They plan.

I recently learned about a smart planning system used by top engineers—often called "5X engineers"

because they’re way more productive than most. 

Here's what I learned.

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Why This Planning Method Works

This planning style helps teams move faster by thinking clearly before coding starts.
It saves time, prevents confusion, and avoids mistakes.

Let’s break it down into 5 simple parts:

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1. Start with Context (Don’t Guess)

Before writing a single line of code, these engineers look at:

• How similar projects were done before

• The tools and rules already in place

• What worked well in the past

This helps them stay consistent and avoid repeating mistakes.

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2. Ask Questions Early

Before jumping in, they:

• Ask questions to clear up confusion

• Make sure everyone understands the goal

• Catch problems before they become big

• Avoid “scope creep” (when the project keeps growing without planning)

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3. Show the Plan Visually

Instead of long, boring documents, they:

• Use file trees or simple diagrams

• Mark what’s new, changed, or deleted

• Let teammates and managers see the plan at a glance

This makes it easy to say yes or no before work begins.

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4. Give Clear Step-by-Step Instructions

The plan includes:

• Easy-to-understand explanations

• Small code examples

• Clear steps, so nothing gets missed

This reduces stress and makes writing the code much faster.

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5. Watch for Risks Early

Before anything is built, they:

• List what the code depends on

• Think about what could break

• Plan how to test it

• Make sure nothing important gets skipped

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Why This Makes You Work 5x Faster

Here’s the usual way of building:
Code → Debug → Fix → Debug Again → Ship

Here’s what this method does instead:
Plan → Code → Ship

It’s faster because:

You don’t waste time starting the wrong way

You avoid back-and-forth messaging

You fix bugs before they happen

You get faster approval from teammates

You don’t have to “figure it out” while you code

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When Should You Use This?

This method works best for:

• Big features

• Architecture changes

• Projects involving more than one person

• Anything that feels messy or unclear

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Final Thought: It's Like Building from a Blueprint

Most people just “figure it out as they go.”

This system flips that.

It’s like working from a blueprint that’s already been tested.

You spend more time thinking in the beginning—so you don’t waste time later.

Smart, right?

George Ohan