There are a ton of small (software) projects I've started from scratch even though they "look like" the same from afar. The small differences matter. An ex coworker of mine had a saying:
If it "looks like an alligator, except..." then it's not an alligator.
I can't count how many times I got burned, tried to beat previous code into submission to fit the new thing, only to realise I'd have an easier time just doing it bespoke from scratch so that it has 100% fitness for purpose.
That, or you start writing reusable frameworks, which you have to somehow design and maintain, and "the project" becomes the framework itself instead of what you set out to originally do. How many have developed game engines instead of the game they set out to write? or blog generators instead of doing actual blogging they set out to do?
Reusability can be a beautiful trap. I'm done with that, now I just do the damn thing.
That, or you start writing reusable frameworks, which you have to somehow design and maintain, and "the project" becomes the framework itself instead of what you set out to originally do. How many have developed game engines instead of the game they set out to write? or blog generators instead of doing actual blogging they set out to do?
Reusability can be a beautiful trap. I'm done with that, now I just do the damn thing.