Break my first coding project into small buildable steps
A milestone plan where every step leaves you with a working program and tells you what to learn next.
The prompt
Break my first coding project into small steps I can build and test one at a time.
Project idea and first version: [PASTE FROM STEP 1, or describe what the program should do]
Language and tools: [e.g. "Python in VS Code"]
What I already know: [e.g. "variables, if statements, basic loops"]
Time per week: [HOURS]
Rules:
- 8-15 milestones. Each one must end with a program that runs, even if it does very little (e.g. "prints the menu" before "saves data to a file").
- Introduce new concepts just in time: only what the current milestone needs.
- Hard-code things at first and replace them later, so I see progress early.
- Include saving my work with version control (git) from milestone 1, explained simply.
- Do not write the code for me. Describe what to build and what to learn.
Return:
1. A table: Milestone | What it does when finished | New concepts to learn | How to check it works | Estimated time.
2. For the first milestone only: a short explanation of each concept and a hint for how to start.
3. A list of features to deliberately leave out of the first version.
4. Signs I'm stuck vs. normal struggle, and when to ask for help.
This is step 2 of the "Learn to code by building your first project" pack. It works on its own, and can use the project chosen in step 1. When I hit errors, step 3 helps me get unstuck.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Software Development prompts
What to fill in
- PASTE FROM STEP 1, or describe what the program should do
- e.g. "Python in VS Code"
- e.g. "variables, if statements, basic loops"
- HOURS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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