Context

I was the lead developer on a small contract. The client needed faster delivery. I chose to bring in another developer with whom I had previous experience. Smart guy. Opinionated but generally effect.

How the Problem Surfaced

The app stopped working.

Digging into it, the new person had repurposed working code to fit his limited view of the business problem and the approach team leveraged to solve the business problem.

The Fix

  • Creating on-boarding documentation.
  • Working more closely with new folks to ensure they understand what had been built and why it worked the way it did.
  • Tightening deployment controls.

Lessons Learned

  • More people do not automatically create more throughput.
  • A team needs an absorption capacity: documentation, boundaries, feedback loops, and clear decision-making.
  • Hiring can reveal process debt the same way testing reveals architecture debt.

What I Watch For Now

  • Onboarding that depends on oral tradition and/or tribal knowledge.
  • Vague deliverables.
  • A lack of concern over 'how' the work gets done.