When deadlines are tight, balancing code refactoring with project delivery is crucial. Focus on the code’s stability—if instability poses risks, prioritize essential refactoring to ensure reliability and avoid costly issues later. Evaluate how refactoring will impact deadlines; address only what’s necessary if delays are unacceptable, leaving minor adjustments for future iterations. Always consider the long-term benefits of maintainable code against immediate project needs. Effective judgment and clear communication with stakeholders ensure decisions align with both quality standards and delivery goals.

When deadlines are tight, it is essential to concentrate on resolving only major and critical bugs that directly affect functionality or stability. Spending time on less critical issues can distract from the primary goal of delivering value to the business. Instead of refactoring non-essential code, implementing a workaround that addresses the immediate problem is often more efficient. Refactoring can often be delayed to a later stage when there is more time to handle it properly. During tight deadlines, it's important to prioritize delivering product value and features that directly benefit the end user. Balancing immediate needs with long-term goals is essential for maximizing impact when time is limited.

When deadlines are tight, prioritize code refactoring only if it directly impacts immediate performance, stability, or scalability. Focus on areas critical to delivering the project and defer non-urgent improvements. Strike a balance by integrating minor refactoring into current tasks and planning more extensive work for post-deadline iterations to maintain progress without sacrificing quality.

For me when tight deadlines are concerned refactoring becomes more of a balancing work. I find myself asking this "How much time will refactoring take right now?" and "Will the time invested now , help me deliver or develop faster in the future" , if the answer is yes then that means its time to refactor. If the code is fragile to the point where adding features or fixing bugs feels risky, I will prioritize cleaning it up. Similarly, if there’s a clear performance issue that could impact critical functionality, addressing it becomes non-negotiable. But I often avoid unnecessary optimization or spending too much time on “nice-to-have” improvements.

When deadlines are tight, prioritize refactoring only if it directly impacts delivery. Focus on cleaning up critical or frequently used code that’s slowing progress or prone to bugs. If the code is stable and won’t change soon, it’s better to leave it for later. Keep it small and targeted—refactor just enough to make things manageable without risking the timeline. Communicate with your team or stakeholders to ensure everyone understands the trade-offs. Always aim for progress over perfection.

When deadlines are tight, prioritize refactoring only if it resolves critical issues like frequent bugs, poor performance, or code that's hard to extend, which could risk the project. Focus on essential changes that aid immediate goals, communicate their value to stakeholders, and defer non-critical updates to future phases to balance speed and maintainability.

As a software developer with tight deadlines, you should always measure the deadline's impact on your code stability. If your code is not stable, you might need to refactor it but ensure it's done after you are sure about the impact.

If the code’s instability risks breaking core features or causing significant bugs, refactoring becomes a priority even under a tight timeline. Focus on refactoring sections that can be cleaned up with minimal effort but have a noticeable impact on readability or performance.

Additionally, involving the team in the decision-making process can provide diverse perspectives on the trade-offs, helping to ensure the most informed choice is made.

I would ask below questions and if they comply then only go with code refactoring: Is this refactor essential to meet the deadline? Will it prevent critical bugs or delays in the current workflow? Does skipping refactoring create more pain in the future than it solves now?