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Discussion on: If you were added to a team with a horrible code base and an unhappy client, what steps would you take to fix everything?

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kshitijmeets profile image
kshitijmeets

Been there twice, burnt to crisp once. Here is a practical take:

  • Are you the Product owner/decision maker? If no read next point.
  • Does the product owner/decision maker feel that good practices are important? If no, then don't bother. You are set up for failure in this endeavor.
  • If the decision maker is positive about this then read next point.
  • Are you the tech lead or are you at that position in the team where you can decide the process and practices?
  • If no then go to point 1 and replace 'Product owner' with 'Tech lead'.
  • If yes then start with some low hanging fruits. unit tests are one of them. Find something that can be introduced without too much disruption.
  • If you are a junior member of the team, focus more of following best practices of software design in your part of the code. Keep you head down and learn as much as you can from both the good and bad parts of the code. You are not ready for battle yet.