Ever felt overwhelmed by massive Pull Requests (PRs) that drag on for days, or even weeks? John Kline from Riot Games has the answers you’ve been looking for. In a recent DevLogue episode, John dished out game-changing insights on how reducing PR size can supercharge your team's performance.
Slice and Dice: Breaking Down the Work
The first step to conquering PR bloat is breaking down work into bite-sized chunks. Forget those monstrous, long-lived PRs. Instead, aim for short-lived PRs that deliver small, incremental changes daily. This not only makes reviews a breeze but also minimizes risk and integration issues.
Two Scenarios to Ponder:
- Case A: Developers slice their tasks into smaller, daily PRs, resulting in manageable reviews, seamless integration, and a significant performance boost.
- Case B: Developers slog through extensive PRs, each taking days or weeks, leading to complex, hard-to-review changes.
Daily Pushes & Feature Flags: Your New Best Friends
One behavioral tweak can change everything: push changes daily or almost daily. Embrace feature flags and branch by abstraction to push non-working code safely without disrupting the main branch. Riot Games is on this journey, aiming to build pipeline trust and foster a culture of incremental changes.
Single Source of Truth: Keep It Simple
Long-lived branches with hefty changes? Recipe for disaster. They create multiple sources of truth, complicating integration and wreaking havoc on code reliability. Stick to small, frequent PRs merging into the main branch to maintain a consistent and reliable codebase.
Empower Your Developers: Tools and Training
Reducing PR size isn’t just about changing habits; it's about empowering your team with the right tools and knowledge. Concepts like branch by abstraction and feature flags might seem counterintuitive at first, but they are crucial. Invest in top-notch tools and comprehensive training to smooth the transition.
The Bottom Line
Transforming your PR strategy with behavioral changes, smart planning, and the right tools can drastically enhance your team’s velocity and reliability. Start small, think big, and watch your performance soar.
Catch the full podcast episode here for John Kline’s in-depth insights on reducing PR size and its myriad benefits.
What are your experiences with PR sizes? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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