Presented at the Agile Alliance Technical Conference, April 2017 in Boston, MA. Legacy code. It's those dirty brownfield applications that no one wants to work on. How do you make sure that your project never becomes one of those dreaded projects? And if you’ve inherited a dirtfield app, how do you turn it back around into a gorgeous greenfield? The answer to both of these questions may surprise you: seeding your app with good communication artifacts. In this talk, Andrea Goulet, the CEO of Corgibytes, a shop that specializes in working on legacy code bases, will give you specific and immediately actionable ideas to ensure the legacy of your codebases stays as green as possible. You’ll learn how to: ● Avoid interruptions by effectively “seeding” artifacts throughout your work ● End the dreaded git blame game ● Create code that continues to provide value years after you write it. If you’re ready to take your code legacy to the next level, this is one talk you won’t want to miss!

1. COMMUNICATION ARTIFACTS
WHAT’S YOUR CODE’S LEGACY?
Andrea Goulet, CEO
@andreagoulet @corgibytes

2. WHO LOVES
LEGACY CODE?
@andreagoulet

3. @mscottford
WHAT COLOR IS YOUR FIELD?

4. @andreagoulet
CODE WITHOUT TESTS?
LEGACY CODE

5. @andreagoulet
SOFTWARE ARCHAEOLOGY

6. @andreagoulet
SOFTWARE ARCHAEOLOGY

7. @andreagoulet
SOFTWARE ARCHAEOLOGY

8. @andreagoulet
SOFTWARE ARCHAEOLOGY

9. @andreagoulet
SOFTWARE ARCHAEOLOGY

10. @andreagoulet
AN ASYNCHRONOUS WAY TO PROVIDE CONTEXT
ARTIFACTS

11. @andreagoulet
THE ARTIFACTS OF YOUR IDEAS
COMMUNICATION

12. @andreagoulet
CODE WITHOUT COMMUNICATION ARTIFACTS
LEGACY CODE

13. @mscottford
THE DIFFERENCE IS COMMUNICATION

14. ANY ORGANIZATION THAT DESIGNS A SYSTEM
WILL PRODUCE A DESIGN WHOSE STRUCTURE
IS A COPY OF THE ORGANIZATION'S
COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE
CONWAY’S LAW
@andreagouletSource: http://www.melconway.com/Home/Conways_Law.html

15. @andreagoulet
TYPES OF
ARTIFACTS

16. @andreagoulet
BRAINSTORMING

17. @andreagoulet
AFFINITY GROUPING

18. AUTOMATIC TOOLS SHOULD CAPTURE “WHO AND WHEN”
CODE SHOULD REVEAL “WHAT AND HOW”
USE COMMITS & DESCRIPTIONS TO PRESERVE “WHY”
HOW MUCH?
@andreagoulet

19. REDUCE FUTURE INTERRUPTIONS
RAMP UP QUICKLY AFTER MENTAL MODEL DISAPPEARS
BUILDS TRUST WITH BUSINESS TEAM
WHY BOTHER?
@andreagoulet

20. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE

21. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
MEETINGS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS TWITTER
FORUMS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE

22. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
BODY LANGUAGE
MEETINGS
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS TWITTER
FORUMS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
METAPHOR

23. @andreagoulet
USE METAPHORS
Metaphors are invaluable
communication tools. It’s
how our brains are wired to
share abstract concepts.
XP practices encourage the
use of system metaphors.

24. @andreagoulet
USE METAPHORS

25. @andreagoulet
USE METAPHORS
1. Ground it in a shared
experience.
2. Agree on a concept.
3. Build the concept with
supportive metaphorical
expressions.

26. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
COMMITS
MEETINGS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS TWITTER
FORUMS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

27. @andreagoulet
WRITING USEFUL COMMITS
“Commit messages should be shorter than
a tweet. Descriptions should be a blog
post if necessary.” -Dave Bock
Commits are tied to source control
Alias `git blame` as `git history`
Present tense (adds, restores, etc.)

28. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
COMMITS NAMING
MEETINGS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS TWITTER
FORUMS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

29. @andreagoulet
NAMING IS A PROCESS
Source: http://arlobelshee.com/good-naming-is-a-process-not-a-single-step/

30. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS
COMMITS NAMING
TWITTER
MEETINGS
FORUMS
SCENARIOS
TESTS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

31. @andreagoulet
LEARNING TO LOVE TESTS
Tests are insurance.
You’re already checking your work.
Automated tests preserve your intentions and
assumptions in the code.
Reduces the chances of the vicious cycle of bug
swapping occurring.
Easier to add edge cases later.

32. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS
COMMITS NAMING
TWITTER
MEETINGS
FORUMS
PULL REQS
SCENARIOS
TESTS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

33. @andreagoulet
A SECOND PAIR OF EYES
Open the pull request early (not when you’re done).
Drafts should always be okay.
Describe what’s being done and why. Context matters,
especially when the project isn’t top of mind.
Constructive criticism makes you a better developer.
Learn to value it.
When leaving feedback, try this framework:
This solution is strong because…
It could be even stronger if you…

34. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS
COMMITS NAMING
TWITTER
MEETINGS
FORUMS
TIMESHEETS
PULL REQS
SCENARIOS
TESTS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

35. @andreagoulet
EVEN TIMESHEETS HAVE VALUE
Operations and finance people really value this
information.
If you’re tempted to put an 8, split it into discrete tasks.
This data may feel pedantic to you, but it could be
incredibly valuable to others on your team.
If you communicate in a time sheet, you won’t get
interrupted later.
Discourages ghosting. Keeps you honest and reveals
the true cost of development.

36. @andreagoulet
SYNCHRONOUS
ASYNCHRONOUS
OBVIOUS
NOT OBVIOUS
VIDEO CALLS
PHONE CALLS
EMAIL
SLACK
TEXTS
COMMITS NAMING
TWITTER
MEETINGS
FORUMS
TIMESHEETS
PULL REQS
ERRORS
SCENARIOS
TESTS
DOCUMENTATION
COMMUNICATION IN SOFTWARE
BODY LANGUAGE
EYE CONTACT
PUNCTUALITY
METAPHOR

37. @andreagoulet
WRITE USEFUL ERROR MESSAGES
Write messages directly to the user, not to the
computer.
Use the active voice instead of the
passive voice, when possible.
Ease the pain with politeness and a conversational
tone. (Ex: Mac chord = first thing you hear after a crash)
In addition to explaining what’s wrong, suggest an
alternative. (Ex: Unrecognized command: statsu. Did
you mean status?)

38. IS A SKILL — SOMETHING YOU CAN ACQUIRE
DEVELOPED BY LISTENING & UNDERSTANDING
APPLIED BY PERSPECTIVE TAKING
EMPATHY
@andreagouletSource: Practical Empathy by Indi Young

39. @andreagoulet
TYPES OF EMPATHY
Source: Practical Empathy by Indi Young
MIRRORED EMPATHY
AFFECTIVE EMPATHY
EMPATHETIC CONCERN
PERSONAL DISTRESS
SELF EMPATHY
COGNITIVE EMPATHY

40. @andreagoulet
WHO ARE YOU LEAVING
ARTIFACTS FOR?

41. @andreagoulet

42. @andreagoulet

43. @andreagoulet
OF DOCUMENTING YOUR THINKING
GIVE THE GIFT

44. @andreagoulet
OF CODE THAT OTHERS CAN UNDERSTAND
LEAVE A LEGACY

45. @andreagoulet
CONTACT INFO
@andreagoulet
@corgibytes
corgibytes.com
LegacyCode.Rocks