The State Snapshot: Your First Week on a New Project

When you join a new project, resist the urge to dive straight into fixing issues. Your first priority should be taking a comprehensive snapshot of the project's current state. This article outlines how to do just that over the course of one week.

The key is to collect information directly from the team members who work on the project. Hold individual 30-45 minute conversations with each person involved, asking simple questions about what annoys them, what's scary to work with, what they would fix if they could, what they know exclusively, and what would happen if they were gone for a month.

This process uncovers a wealth of hidden problems that nobody has documented up to this point. What's more, it earns you the team's trust by showing you value their input and expertise.

While you're interviewing the team, compile a service map detailing every component of the project. Include the service's purpose, its location, who knows about it, and how it's deployed. Don't rely on documentation alone - validate everything against the actual servers and systems in use. This often reveals surprises, like dead services mentioned in the architecture diagram but no longer present, or live services that the diagram had overlooked.

From the conversations and service map, extract a list of things that people consider "too risky" to touch. For each item, probe deeper until you understand the root cause of the fear. Some concerns turn out to be real problems (lack of tests, no rollback, etc.), while others are simply legends. Identify the legitimate risks and prioritize them.

At the end of the week, synthesize all this information into a single plain-language page outlining the top five most significant risks the team faces. Keep the rest of the details in your working notes. Present this snapshot to the team before sharing it with management, to show that you've collaborated with the group and earned their buy-in. The snapshot becomes a shared tool for the team to work from, rather than a negative audit review.

In the week that follows, use this snapshot as your foundation. Address the most critical issues that the map and risk list highlight, rather than simply tackling what seems obvious. With a clear picture of the project's current state, you and your team can work together effectively to tackle the most pressing challenges first.