First, figure out the goals for your project. Why are you doing it, who and how will users accomplish this? Get the general idea, and as you get more specific, jot some notes down. I love to have a white board by my desk to doodle some ideas.
Use UML (unified modeling language) to design your classes in a flowchart-style layout. There are special ways of doing this and there are programs which help you do this. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UML_tools - or, for rather simple projects, you can just use a whiteboard.
Before you start coding, though, you need to, well, figure out your goals, then figure out what components you'll need to include.
This includes which functions should be able to be performed as a user would see it: "send email", "update address book", "add new contact", type of thing. Then, you need to plan out what pages users will see to do each of them, and describe the logic (PHP code) behind each page.
This is where UML comes in.
Discover classes by noticing which nouns you use to describe your application. Discover instance variables by associating them with adjectives. And verbs become actual methods (functions). And if you get really technical, adverbs are usually integrated with segments of code to do specific tasks (e.g. "partially update contact book [as opposed to all of it]").
I first of all go away from my PC and start thinking on the project.
I take a pencil and paper and draw what is in my imagination.
I also write some features side by side that needs to be implemented. And how they will be implemented [Its logic]
This process goes on for some hours depending on the complexity of the project.
Then I take another paper and draw a rough diagram of tables and database where this data will go and be fetched from.
Maybe then a break of a day or two and then coming back to that papers and checking if it is what I wanted or is something not good.
If every thing looks good. I write down a full feature list on the 3rd paper and come back to my PC and open Photoshop to draw the front end template on which the coding is going to be done.
You need to be inspired to do the project, where do you get your inspiration or motive?
what goals and features needed to be accomplished?
you may need to "sleep" on it a couple of times, and upgrade the idea from time to time. there might be shareware available already that does the features for you you can also get some ideas from it. brainstorming as well is done with the client and lots of it.
I write about a page about what the application is, why it exists, who will use it and what it will do. After this I create headers for each major part of the application, which each contain bulletpoints for features and such. I then decide on how the database tables will be formatted and again use bullet points for displaying each field, for example:
Field Name
--Type: Varchar
--Length: 255
and so on.
I also look at existing comparable solutions and note down their features which could be included in my own application.
1. Get a full word doc with every request from the client.
2. I then map it out on paper.
3. I then design the database.
4. Next comes putting together the classes (templater, user handling, ect)
5. Next i write the functions I need, which most I will ever need I have in a personal libary.
6. Now the fun part, tying it all together one script at a time. I debug as I go along, I hate to see even one notice.
7. Put the plugins into the template(s).
8. Beta test with the template in place until not one issues shows. Run benchmarks and improve if I can.
9. Write all docs and package everything nice and neat.
10. Get final payment from the client and deliver or install for him/her.
