Notes on Developer Accountability and Best Practices

Introduction

• The speaker shares a story about a bug in production and its implications.
• The discussion contrasts junior and senior developer behaviors.

The Incident

• A customer reported a bug in a recently launched product, leading to frustration.
• Immediate concern: the app fails when pasting YouTube videos.

Key Points

• Emotional Reaction: Initial happiness turned to frustration due to potential refund requests.
• Communication with Team: Speaker approached the head of development and team about the broken feature.

Issues Identified

• Pending Pull Requests (PRs): Multiple PRs were not merged, leading to production issues.
• Developer's Responsibility: The expectation for developers to ensure Q&A instead of relying on customers.

Accountability

• Testing Neglect: Developer only tested locally and on a preview link, not in production.
• Comparison: Analogies to serious medical errors to emphasize the need for thorough testing in production.

Consequences of the Incident

• Team Trust: Repeated issues lead to diminished trust among team members.
• Increased Micromanagement: Due to lack of accountability, managers may resort to micromanaging, affecting morale.

Solutions and Best Practices

• Rigorous Testing:
  • Emphasize thorough testing in various environments and on production.
  • Treat testing as a crucial part of the development process.
• Communication:
  • Encourage open and proactive communication among team members.
  • Developers should collaborate closely, especially when testing PRs.
• Persistence:
  • Developers should actively push for their PRs to be merged without delay.

Conclusion

• The difference between junior and senior developers often hinges on accountability, testing habits, and communication.
• Final Takeaways:
  • Test obsessively and ensure everything works in production.
  • Maintain clear communication and be proactive in identifying issues.
  • Stay persistent in getting PRs merged to avoid technical debt and future complications.

Closing Thoughts

• Lessons learned from the incident serve to improve developer practices and foster a more efficient team environment.