4 ms·
If a code refactoring can increase dev productivity and shipping speed, then that is certainly worth something - though obviously can be hard to measure. Infras
by JSavageOne 3y ago
If a code refactoring can increase dev productivity and shipping speed, then that is certainly worth something - though obviously can be hard to measure. Infrastructure updates can directly reduce server costs, latency, or have other benefits.
For tasks that aren't straightforward to measure impact on bottom line, perhaps their impact can be approximated via product owners setting bounties on them.
In any case as important as things like code quality are, they are ancillary to the bottom line of a business. Employers hire employees to increase the profitability of their business, and code quality is not the top priority.
- The_Colonel 3y ago> If a code refactoring can increase dev productivity and shipping speed, then that is certainly worth something The value of that is being distributed in very small increments over the whole dev team in the span of years. It's impossible to measure. > Infrastructure updates can directly reduce server costs, latency, or have other benefits. Well, most of the work is in that "other benefits". Very difficult to measure. > Employers hire employees to increase the profitability of their business, and code quality is not the top priority. With your incentive model it has 0 priority and the project will die under the weight of technical debt, inability to add features in reasonable time and critical defects appearing out of the blue.
- JSavageOne 3y ago> With your incentive model it has 0 priority This is just factually incorrect as I've already explained, such as via the ability to provide bounties on technical debt reduction. Also an incentive doesn't mean that one has to chase that incentive, or that all work must revolve around those incentives. In any case, it's already the situation at most companies that they tend to prioritize shipping new features and bug fixes above code refactoring. As a developer myself, I'm simply suggesting a way in which employers can further motivate employees and promote intrapraneurship by more directly compensation employees for their contributions. If you're happy with the status quo, all the power to you.