Gerrit Stapper

Keep your code refactorable

Is your team trapped by the 'it works' mindset? Break the cycle of technical debt by building a codebase that inspires confidence, not fear.

Keep your code refactorable
#1about 2 minutes

Defining refactoring and refactorable code

Refactoring improves internal code structure without changing external behavior, while refactorable code provides a safe environment for both improvement and extension.

#2about 4 minutes

Understanding the development cycle and its negative impacts

The development cycle of reading, concluding, and adjusting code can be slowed by negative forces like pressure, ignorance, and fear, leading to decreased quality.

#3about 2 minutes

Building confidence as the driver for better code

Confidence in reading, understanding, and adjusting code is the positive force that counteracts pressure and fear, enabling a sustainable development pace.

#4about 6 minutes

Writing readable code through clear naming and structure

Improve code readability by using expressive names, separating concerns to reduce complexity, and avoiding the 'it works' mindset that accumulates technical debt.

#5about 4 minutes

Making implicit knowledge explicit with tests and commits

Share domain knowledge and technical context effectively through self-documenting unit tests and detailed, explanatory commit messages.

#6about 5 minutes

Using TDD and small steps for safer adjustments

Adopt test-driven development (TDD) as a design technique and make small, incremental changes with version control checkpoints to adjust code safely.

#7about 2 minutes

The business value of building sustainable software

Investing in refactorable code is not just about developer convenience; it's a financial decision to prevent costly rewrites and build competitive, long-lasting products.

#8about 2 minutes

Q&A: Handling cross-team refactoring and urgent features

Discussion on how to convince other teams to refactor using tests for safety, when not to refactor, and how to balance refactoring with urgent feature requests.

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