The Twelves project is simple, create 12 projects in 12 months, with the extra bonus of it being the year 2012.

What’s this all about?

Portfolio. Plain and simple this is about building out my portfolio. I am a developer and I have built a great many things in my career, but there aren’t very many things I have created that are public facing. So many of the tools I have developed are for companies and entities that don’t want their tools shared, or simply viewed by the public. That leaves me with awkward moments when I am talking myself into a small contract when the client asks “Can I see some of your work?” and I have to respond with “No”.

So now the plan is to get 12 projects from the notebook to the cloud in 12 months and have a small portfolio that I can show perspective clients when they ask “Can I see some of your work?”.

Why 12 projects in 12 months?

It is 2012, there are 12 months and it just seemed like a good idea to force myself to complete a project in a months time. I am not going for perfection, because I know that no software, no matter how mature, is ever perfect. For crying out loud Windows is in it 20s and still changing, WP changes, everything changes. To aim for perfection is ok, to not release until perfect is a fools dream.

This is about getting projects done.  Maybe 2013 is about getting projects polished and working better, for now it is about getting something on the table.

Who is helping?

My 12 projects are intended to be completed by myself. However, since I am not a designer I may employ the help of friends and colleges to make things a little more pretty, but for the most part it is all me.

Can I do it too?

Sure! In fact if I get 12 or more developers to “sign up” I will be willing to dedicate a month to creating an app for tracking the progress of these goals.

When can I start building?

January 1st, 2012, and not a day before! Sort of. So the plan for my projects is to code them in 1 month, or less. The planning stages have already started. Nothing too deep, just DB schema ideas on paper. No coding, no server work has been completed. I won’t start writing code until after January 1st, 2012.

How do I sign up?

To sign on as a developer for the 12 in 12 in 2012 project just send me an email with your name and list of projects. I will touch base with you every couple of weeks to see how things are coming and update your positions on the site. If I get 12 developers or more then I will spawn a site dedicated to the projects, all folks who email to start the program will automatically be added to the site IF I get the 12 or more developers on board.

Get planning!

Ok, now you know the plan, get some ideas down, start thinking about things you can program. Remember they don’t have to be amazing, maybe you want to write a blogging engine, or an invoicing app, or a project management software… just get planning!