Let's take a look at the following piece of code, found in a codebase that I've picked up and currently am working with.
The goal is not to look into the reasons of how and why we ended up with such an overcomplicated solution, but rather to put ourselves in the shoes of the developer that was asked to change something in it.
Now, ask yourself the following questions:
An honest answer will point to no on both questions. Overcomplex code is something that we, developers, are used to find. We know by heart that it takes time to understand and change the code.
Now let's look at a refactored version of the previous code, and ask the same two questions.
Changing this piece of code is, by far, easier than changing the previous one. And contrary to what usually runs through a developer's mind, when deadlines are tight, keeping the codebase small and well-organized helps.
We often don't think about how keeping the code in good shape sets the bar for others working on the project. But a project with a well-written code will motivate everyone to mimic the behavior, follow the conventions and deliver code with similar quality. If there are no broken windows on the project, people will be less tempted to break one.
The good thing about nurturing an unbroken window behavior is that, ultimately, it will propagate through the entire software development team, and impact all projects in the company. Hopefully, this will also work as a sign to other departments, and the philosophy gets adopted outside the realm of the company’s codebase.
The broken window experience comes to my mind every now and then, as it exemplifies the importance that minor behaviors have on avoiding problems from scaling and ultimately systems from falling into chaos. It is one of the rules that it's worth living by.
Found this article interesting? You might like these ones too!
CEO @ Imaginary Cloud and co-author of the Product Design Process book. I enjoy food, wine, and Krav Maga (not necessarily in this order).
People who read this post, also found these interesting:
.png)
