I’ve been working in some old software lately.

Software that’s been running well since before I landed my first tech role… Serving customer needs. Driving revenue.

Vanilla JavaScript and jQuery abound.

Little automation.

Inconsistent formatting.

No linting.

I want to jump in and just… change things… format code, remove dead code, apply consistency and rules to keep things tidy moving forward.

Do you know what would happen if I do this though?

Collapse. Breakage. Errors. Implosion. Stress. Broken trust.

It’s fragile.

Also, smart people built it.

People with business objectives, who had deadlines, plans… people who love to code, who love their craft.

How would you feel if you welcomed someone into your shop, and the first thing they did was try to rearrange the furniture and reorganize the tools?? It wouldn’t be well-received.

So, tactfulness is required.

I’m there… deciphering decisions. Analyzing structure. Trying to gain understanding.

It’s been an exercise in practicing restraint. I’m being observant, asking tons of questions, learning the history. Learning the “why.”

Before I can help drive impactful change… first comes understanding.

Then planning.

Then pitching solutions, and maybe some adoption.

Then execution. As a team. Everyone leveling up together.

It’s been a refreshing change from working on greenfield tech! I feel like I’m learning and growing, and it’s been fun… and even a little nostalgic to encounter legacy code.

Onward!