Good code is like a tidy home
Overloaded code with unnecessary functions, a lack of structure, and growing complexity: software development also needs to be tidied up regularly to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure traceability. IT service provider Avision shows how the courage to let go of things and a strategic approach can help.
It was a hit series that thrilled millions of viewers around the world: In “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” the eponymous host showed how methodical tidying up not only leads to optimal long-term organization, but also makes everyday life easier and happier. Things that many developers can only dream of when looking at their own code. This raises the question: Can this model also be applied to software development? Perhaps not one-to-one, but valuable guidelines based on the principle of “throw away what you don’t need, sort the rest” can already make life a lot easier. Here’s how it works:
Identify unnecessary ballast
Before tidying up, analysis is required. Old systems often contain unused functions that cause technical debt and unnecessarily bloat the code base. Code metrics, test coverage, and usage analyses can be used to identify what can be removed – pragmatically and based on data.
Structure the remaining code
After decluttering, a DDD (domain-driven design) approach ensures order. This puts the domain at the center of the software architecture. By dividing the code into clearly defined bounded contexts, it is broken down into independent, manageable units. This facilitates maintenance, reduces dependencies, and enables targeted further development in line with the actual business logic.
Implementing refactoring correctly
Once the software has been decluttered and the most important components have been structured, the next step is to further optimize the code. This is where refactoring comes in – improving the code without changing the behavior of the system. The aim is to increase the readability and maintainability of the code while minimizing sources of error.
Plan for continuous improvement and maintenance
Software can only be maintained sustainably if order is regularly checked and maintained. Automated testing and continuous integration (CI) help to implement new developments in a structured manner, identify technical debt at an early stage, and maintain high code quality in the long term.
“Good code is like a tidy apartment:
everything has its place, superfluous items are thrown out, and what remains makes life easier,“ says Nadine Riederer, CEO at Avision. ”What developers need for this is, on the one hand, the will and time to declutter digitally, but on the other hand, the courage to throw away the unnecessary once and for all. The results are worth it, because only tidy software is sustainable software.”
This press release is also available at www.pr-com.de/de/avision.
Press contact
Avision GmbH
Christina Karl
Marketing
Bajuwarenring 14
D-82041 Oberhaching
Phone +49-89-623037-967
christina.karl@avision-it.de
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