Another recent post, again focused on API design, but could/should apply to all tech efforts (The Four Principles of Successful APIs). This time the guidance takes a slightly different approach:
1. Understand The Strategy
2. Decide Who You Are Really Designing For
3. Start Small and Iterate
4. Architect for the Long Term with Abstraction
#2 sounds like a component of #1 – your target user base should be part of your strategy. #3 is a good opportunity to apply the consistency principle from the previous posting. #4 is interesting because abstraction seems to be a hard concept for developers who tend to think that API = CRUD overlay.