An analogy: A person does not pack the same for a overnight trip the same things as they would for a month long trip. The month long trip requires not only more luggage but also has to take into account things that wouldn't need to be accounted for on an overnight trip. In other words, you have to pack adequately for the trip you are going on. The luggage you'd take on a month long trip is too much for an overnight and the same is true for a single overnight bag taken on a month long trip.
In software terms I'm finding myself to be like the guy who too has taken many weekend or short vacations packing only a single pair of underwear and a toothbrush and thinking the same will be adequate for a weeklong cruise to Alaska. It's not. What works in a smaller environment and brings success there does not inherently bring success on a larger scale. In keeping with the analogy, I can't say to the Maître de on the cruise, "My bathing suit is surely adequate for this formal dinner, I've worn this bathing suit hundreds of time before." The analogy is silly, but the point is that what works in one situation doesn't work elsewhere. Where a bathing suit is adequate for a weekend camping trip it's not for a cruise. On that cruise there are expectation of other passengers and the dining room that you will dress appropriately.
In terms of software that means planning better, capturing requirements better, understanding the business behind the decisions, keeping fellow developers excited and passionate about what they're working on, dealing with interpersonal communication better, and making sure that everyone is on the same page and that we're all working toward a common unified target. As we grow, I need to perform better in these areas. It's not something I can put off and figure out later. If I/we don't plan properly and "pack correctly" there may not be a later.
So wherever you are and whatever software project you may be working on ask yourself what the goal or aim of that software is and if you've packed properly for it. Because if you haven't, you may not get a seat at the table.
