7  Meta Project-Oriented Workflow

The goal of these chapters is to help you build a system for answering questions like:

across many projects and many computers.

This system takes the principles articulated in “Holistic Workflow” and extends them to all the ways you might use R, but also to other software you use.

7.1 The Project Onion

Going all in on the project-oriented workflow means adopting tools that make it possible to programmatically manage each of the layers of project setup, which can be visualized via the “project onion”:

the project onion

7.1.1 package managers

7.1.2 language manager

7.1.3 language version

7.1.4 environment manager

7.1.5 your project

7.2 The Project Onion: R

the project onion, R

7.3 The Workflow Cycle

flowchart LR

start(starting R)
packages(installing R packages)
repro(creating reproducible environments)
installing("installing | upgrading R")

start --> packages --> repro --> installing --> start

If you go all in on the project-oriented workflow, installing R and upgrading R are the same operation.