I can't tell you how powerful overcoming the leap-before-looking
temptation is when building a system. Have an object model?
Model it using UML or ERD. Have a workflow? Draw a workflow
diagram (an activity diagram). Have a webflow? Draw a webflow diagram
(looks like a state diagram, or in more sophisticated scenarios, like
an activity diagram). Have a site map? Map the site using a site
planning tool like Denim. All of these
tools facilitate VISUAL feedback. They are cognitive, high level
disciplines, and for good reason! Your mind interprets things visually
differently than it does when coding from the left brain - it is able
to "see" associations between related concepts when it's fed ideas
through feedback that ends up in the right brain.
I've mentioned this before, I think, but check out Neal Ford's
On
the Lam From The Software Police for more.
Even if you don't check it out, invest in trying the modeling
tools associated with the task you're attempting to solve.
Even if you feel - after giving the technology a REALLY good-faith
effort - that you've gained nothing, I'm willing to bet your product
will still be more "consistent" than if you had developed it from
scatch, unable to see the big picture.
