🚀 Transforming a Struggling Software Team into a High-Performance Team - Part 2 One Proverb all project managers and tech leads should remember is "Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions". But in software development, "These Good Intentions can also lead to a maze of bugs." This is a mantra that every project manager and tech lead should remember. Implementing a policy with good intentions does not guarantee positive outcomes for your project. Take the common practice of using try/catch blocks in Java and .NET projects. Developers often add these blocks intending to prevent crashes. However, if the catch block merely logs the error and the exception is not properly handled, it can create chaos for the entire team. Let's dissect a hypothetical scenario to highlight the issue: ```java x = func1(); y = func2(x); z = func3(y); ``` In an ideal world, if `func1()` throws an exception, neither `func2()` nor `func3()` should be called. But what if a developer wraps `func1()` in a try block followed by an empty catch block? The exception is caught, and the program erroneously proceeds to `func2(x)`, operating on a potentially incorrect or corrupted state of 'x', which could lead to another exception. To "fix" this, another empty catch block is added, and the cycle continues until `func3(y)` crashes. The real bug, however, likely resides in `func1()`. This means the developer will waste a significant amount of time tracing back to the actual cause of the problem. As a Tech Lead, by advocating a 'no-crash' policy without proper exception handling, you've inadvertently constructed a 'road to bugfix hell'. It's a cautionary tale that underscores the importance of thoughtful and effective error management in software development. Lets get back to our Case study of "Transforming a Struggling Software Team into a High-Performance Team" Imagine a codebase, a labyrinth of about 500 try/catch blocks, most leading to dead ends of empty catch blocks. This was the daunting maze the "Struggling Software Team." was working with. Determined to bring order to chaos, I (along with Project Manager and Team lead) championed a cleanup crusade. The result? A leaner, meaner set of 50 catch blocks, each a sentinel effectively guarding against errors, no longer just placeholders but active defenders of code integrity. The moment of truth came when `func1()` threw an exception. Instead of the usual obfuscation, what emerged was a crystal-clear call stack, pinpointing the 'correct' error. This singular fix slashed bug fix times from a sluggish weeks to a swift days. This narrative isn't unique. Many software teams, with the best intentions, erect barriers to their own success. Intelligent teams risk devolving into dysfunction, not for lack of skill, but from practices that stifle rather than stimulate productivity and quality. The cost? Not just in subpar productivity and quality, but in the ballooning development costs that inevitably follow.
Transforming a Struggling Software Team into a High-Performance Team 🚀 Case Study: A Remarkable Turnaround in Software Development In February 2024, I was approached by a leading Indian Software MNC grappling with significant challenges in one of their project group. The issues were critical: persistent bugs, delayed schedules, and plummeting productivity. The customer dissatisfaction was palpable, with bug reports coming in and the team's fixes lagging behind, taking an average of 3 to 5 days for each bugfix. The project was not that big, with Java code ranging between 30K to 40K lines. It was clear that a strategic overhaul was necessary. 🔍 My first step was a thorough review of the team's code and development practices. What followed was a series of targeted interventions: - Revamping coding practices - Integrating a static code analysis tool into the build process - Streamlining the development workflow The results? Within a mere 6 weeks, the turnaround time for bug fixes was reduced to just one day. All critical issues, including a longstanding bug, were resolved. And the most impressive part? It was achieved with the same team, whose potential was unlocked through improved practices and processes, backed by the unwavering support of the Tech Lead and Project Manager. Throughout my career, I've witnessed this scenario repeatedly: talented and diligent software engineers hamstrung by inadequate coding and development practices. The solution is straightforward yet transformative—refine these practices, and watch the same team perform miracles. Are you experiencing similar challenges with your team? Reach out to me. I'm here to guide your team towards excellence (for a fee, of course). #SoftwareDevelopment #TeamTransformation #CodingBestPractices #ProductivityBoost #QualityAssurance
So Nitin sir, how can we reduce some amount of time to get to the actual cause of failure if we assume that n number of try catch blocks. We need to check again and again in the call stack to get to the origin of the cause.
Amazing share Nitin Bhide sir, it's a useful post.
I find this series extremely helpful from the developer's pov. Thanks Nitin Bhide sir, for such wonderful insights.
Co-Founder at D10X
5moPart 2 Now available on my blog also https://blog.thinkingcraftsman.in/2024/04/transforming-struggling-software-team.html