project_journal_template.md•4.66 kB
# Project Development Journal
This journal tracks your progress, decisions, and learnings as a solo developer working with LLM assistants.
## Journal Entry Template
```markdown
# Journal Entry: [Date]
## Today's Focus
[Brief description of what you worked on today]
## Progress Made
- [Accomplishment 1]
- [Accomplishment 2]
- [Accomplishment 3]
## Decisions Made
- [Decision 1]: [Reasoning]
- [Decision 2]: [Reasoning]
## Challenges Encountered
- [Challenge 1]: [How you addressed it or plan to address it]
- [Challenge 2]: [How you addressed it or plan to address it]
## LLM Interaction Notes
- [Which LLMs you worked with]
- [What worked well]
- [What didn't work well]
- [Effective prompts discovered]
## Code Changes
- [File 1]: [Description of changes]
- [File 2]: [Description of changes]
## Ideas & Insights
[Any new ideas or insights gained]
## Next Steps
- [ ] [Task 1]
- [ ] [Task 2]
- [ ] [Task 3]
## Resources
- [Link 1]: [Description]
- [Link 2]: [Description]
```
## Sample Entry
```markdown
# Journal Entry: 2023-07-15
## Today's Focus
Implemented user authentication system and began work on the dashboard UI.
## Progress Made
- Completed JWT authentication backend
- Set up protected routes in the frontend
- Created basic dashboard layout with responsive design
- Added user profile component
## Decisions Made
- Using HttpOnly cookies for JWT storage: Provides better security against XSS attacks compared to localStorage
- Selected Material UI as the component library: Good documentation and community support, plus consistent design language
## Challenges Encountered
- CORS issues with the API: Resolved by updating the server configuration to accept requests from frontend origin
- React Context performance: Identified potential performance issues with current approach, need to research alternatives
## LLM Interaction Notes
- Worked with Developer LLM for authentication implementation
- Architecture LLM was very helpful in designing the auth flow
- Tester LLM created comprehensive tests for JWT validation
- The most effective prompt was providing a sequence diagram to the Architecture LLM
## Code Changes
- src/auth/AuthProvider.js: Created authentication context and provider
- src/api/authService.js: Implemented authentication API services
- src/components/Login.js: Built login form with validation
- src/components/Dashboard/: Created dashboard component structure
## Ideas & Insights
React Query might be a better solution for managing server state than our current custom hooks. It handles caching, loading states, and error handling more elegantly.
## Next Steps
- [ ] Complete user profile page
- [ ] Add password reset functionality
- [ ] Improve form validation with better error messages
- [ ] Research React Query
## Resources
- https://jwt.io/introduction/: Good overview of JWT concepts
- https://reactjs.org/docs/context.html#caveats: Documentation on Context API performance
```
## Weekly Reflection Template
Use this template at the end of each week to reflect on progress and learnings.
```markdown
# Weekly Reflection: [Week Number] ([Date Range])
## Accomplishments
- [Major accomplishment 1]
- [Major accomplishment 2]
- [Major accomplishment 3]
## Project Status
- [Feature 1]: [Status]
- [Feature 2]: [Status]
- [Feature 3]: [Status]
## Technical Debt Review
- [Technical debt item 1]: [Plan to address]
- [Technical debt item 2]: [Plan to address]
## LLM Collaboration Review
- Most effective LLM role this week: [Role and why]
- Least effective LLM role this week: [Role and why]
- LLM collaboration improvements needed: [Improvements]
## Knowledge Gained
- [Learning 1]
- [Learning 2]
- [Learning 3]
## Blockers & Risks
- [Blocker/Risk 1]: [Mitigation plan]
- [Blocker/Risk 2]: [Mitigation plan]
## Next Week's Plan
- [Goal 1]
- [Goal 2]
- [Goal 3]
## Resource Needs
- [Resource 1]
- [Resource 2]
## Personal Notes
[Any personal reflections on the development process]
```
## Tips for Effective Journaling
1. **Be consistent**: Make daily entries even if they're brief
2. **Focus on decisions**: Document the "why" behind decisions for future reference
3. **Track LLM effectiveness**: Note which LLM roles and prompts worked best
4. **Review regularly**: Use weekly reflections to identify patterns and improvements
5. **Link to artifacts**: Reference specific files, commits, or documentation
6. **Note context switches**: Document when you switch between different parts of the project
7. **Capture code snippets**: Include important code snippets directly in the journal
8. **Update project context**: Use journal insights to update the project context file