Your team is hesitant about code reusability. How can you convince them of its benefits?
Curious about the power of code reuse? Dive into the discussion and share your strategies for swaying the skeptics.
Your team is hesitant about code reusability. How can you convince them of its benefits?
Curious about the power of code reuse? Dive into the discussion and share your strategies for swaying the skeptics.
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It is important to understand why the team is hesitant. Most likely they are not used to writing reusable code and/or are not experienced enough to determine what can be potentially 'reused'. Additionally, they may think that writing reusable code is slower (which is true for inexperienced developers). Arguably, not all code can be reusable. It will be helpful to train the team with examples of what can be potentially reused, but most importantly show them HOW it can be reused, by providing a real example. Then take this example further by comparing the gains of reusable versus non-reusable code in terms of not only efficiency but confidence in the quality, as the reusable code is already tested and works.
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I am a huge proponent of the DRY principle, one way to convince my team is showcasing the benefit of change management. Changes are inevitable, without proper code reuse; you end up needing to do the change in multiple places, which isn't fun; also very error prone. Code reuse, allows one to do the change once in one place and practically done. Freeing up time to focus on more interesting work.
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Code reusability is crucial for scaling productivity and minimizing redundancy. By reusing proven components, we cut down development time, reduce bugs, and maintain consistency across projects. This leads to cleaner architecture and a more maintainable codebase. Instead of rewriting solutions, we leverage well-tested tools, allowing us to focus on unique project challenges. Reusability isn't just efficient—it's an investment in stability, helping us work faster and smarter. The more reusable components we create now, the fewer obstacles we face in future development. Let's build a toolkit, not reinvent the wheel.
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1. Increased Development Speed - Faster Delivery, Focus on New Features 2. Improved Code Quality and Consistency - Less Error-Prone, Consistency Across the Codebase 3. Easier Maintenance and Debugging - Centralized Fixes, Simplified Refactoring 4. Reduced Technical Debt - Avoid Duplication, Scalability 5. Better Collaboration and Onboarding - Shared Understanding, Easier Onboarding 6. Supports Best Practices in Software Development - Modularity and Separation of Concerns, Testable Code 7. Long-Term Business Value - Lower Costs, Flexibility
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Usually reusability is a consequence of a clear and well fitting design. It's difficult to aim for it directly because it emerges by itself from the careful(!) application of other well known design principles (e.g. DRY, S.O.L.I.D., etc.). The DRY principle should always be the default approach but it cuts both ways. If not careful one can end up creating an abstraction of two solutions that by coincidence look the same but aren't logically coupled. If that happens, as the code evolves one often ends up with an implementation of the Swiss Army Knife anti-pattern. It isn't so much about convincing developers of the benefits of reusability but convincing them that putting a lot of thought into design is always worth it.
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To drive consensus on code reusability, you can host a Lean Coffee session to discuss benefits like reduced development time, fewer defects, and improved maintainability. Tools like SonarQube or GitHub Copilot can illustrate automated code reuse patterns, showcasing efficiency. If you follow the agile framework, the Product Owner can introduce metrics (e.g., lower time-to-market) and demonstrate reusability’s alignment with business goals, particularly for scaling and cross-project agility. Industry Variations: IT/Telecom: Focus on rapid releases, modularity. Energy/Safety-Critical Systems: Emphasize adherence to IEC 61508, ISO 26262, with traceable, compliant code blocks that streamline audits and ensure regulatory consistency.
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Reusable code leads to reusable components. Understanding what's causing hesitancy among team members and addressing it directly is the only way I know of to address this problem. I would anticipate the issue for most will be it requires writing dynamic code, which I know can be challenging to learn. Implemented properly, metadata is also typically used to further adjust settings. There are many benefits to having reusable code and components. They accelerate projects and can also help sell them! Further, they can be monetized in places like the Salesforce App Exchange. For some, the concern might be ability to customize UI. If designed properly, all will be consistent. Using frameworks, customizing all as a group is possible.
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