The document outlines the top 10 clean code practices aimed at reducing technical debt in software development, emphasizing the importance of writing maintainable and readable code. It discusses strategies such as regular refactoring, implementing quality gates, and adhering to solid principles, which collectively foster better collaboration and minimize long-term complications. By adopting these practices, companies can ensure project longevity and counteract technical debt effectively.

1. Sparity Soft Technologies
www.sparity.com
Top 10 clean code practices to reduce technical debt
• Introduction
• Regular refactoring
• Testing
• Quality gates
• Nurture products over project completion
• Implement measurements for the clean code
• SOLID Principles
• YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It)
• KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) by Kelly Johnson
• DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas
• Conclusion
• Why Choose Sparity
Introduction
Each line of code matters for projects in the long run. Developers should write code that is
easy to read, change, and maintain by following clean code principles. This significantly
diminishes the possibility of bugs being introduced or unintentionally breaking the systems in
subsequent updates and expansions.
However, clean code becomes the basis for better collaboration between team members and
helps management to avoid onboarding of new developers which burdens them financially,
which in the long run reduces the risk of developing technical debt. By the end of the day,
paying attention to clean coding at the start leads to fewer burdens of technical debt and
keeps the code base healthy and sustainable.
To understand what technical debt is in a comprehensive way, read our earlier blog here.
Let’s delve into the top 10 clean code practices to tackle technical debt.
Regular refactoring
To maintain clean code, refactor code regularly, which helps keep the codebase agile,
adaptable, and easy to understand. Through the decomposition of complex functionalities into
smaller, manageable units and continuous review of the architecture, developers can
guarantee that the code stays efficient and scalable. Also, refactoring assists in complying
with clean code principles such as removing redundancy and enhancing readability and
maintainability. This forward-looking manner minimizes technical debt while fostering a

2. culture of continual improvement within the development teams, ultimately leading to much
stronger, sustainable software solutions.
AI tools
Efficiency and clarity are important for clean code in software development. AI-powered
tools can revolutionize the process of reducing technical debt. These tools support developers
by streamlining the process of writing clean, maintainable code.
For example, an AI-powered code review model can upgrade code quality by spotting issues
automatically, giving tips on improvements, and even providing feedback in real time while
programming. Moreover, AI coding assistants such as Amazon’s Q Developer can improve
developer productivity through intelligent code suggestions that detect potential bugs and
enforce best practices. This is how adopting these advanced technologies will enable
programmers to write less messy code, cut down on technical debt.
Testing
Testing is essential for a code to ensure there will be no coding errors, reducing technical
debt. Automation expedites the process, swiftly catching regressions and freeing up valuable
time for developers to focus on refining code. Yet, manual testing remains crucial for
exploring intricate edge cases and validating user experience nuances that automated tests
may overlook. The selection of tools plays another crucial role in testing. Clean code isn’t
solely the coder’s responsibility; testers contribute significantly to maintaining code quality
through their meticulous testing practices, ultimately ensuring a robust and reliable software
product.
Quality gates
Quality gates are checkpoints or criteria set up within the software development process to
ensure that certain standards or requirements are met before progressing to the next stage.
They serve as a means to maintain or improve the quality of the software being developed.
Martin, in his “Boys Scouts of America” rule, stipulated that maintaining clean code is
essential for good software quality over time.
These technical obligations are reduced by implementing quality gates, which offer rules for
every new code commit. When coupled with continuous integration practices, these
checkpoint systems enforce coding hygiene requirements and underpin ongoing improvement
in software excellence. Nevertheless, even though such measures have some advantages, they
are not widely employed due to a range of factors, including prioritization differences, time
constraints, and a lack of implementation.
Nurture products over project completion
Try shifting focus from software development as just a project completion to the product care
mode. Unlike projects, products last a long time, but they persist and evolve through time,
thus needing ongoing care and attention.
Instead of solely looking at short-term project completion, make long-term product viability a
priority. Recognizing that software’s lifecycle can extend beyond its initial development
phase will pave the way towards developing flexible and scalable solutions that can expand

3. along with continuously evolving needs and technologies. This approach promotes preventive
maintenance and implements strategic improvement measures to keep things in good shape.
Implement measurements for the clean code
Measurements should be brought into alignment with the individual areas of code
improvement involving cyclomatic complexity and assessing core business logic simplicity.
Tools such as NDepend’s Code Query Language, which is specially developed to search and
analyze the code, are used to identify the components of the codebase precisely, facilitate
targeted optimizations, and empower developers with informed decision-making throughout
the lifecycle of development.
Highlight the fact that tracking measurable results enables evaluating the efficiency of code
changes. Teams can learn about how their efforts impact code quality and efficiency by
measuring the observational outcomes, such as an increase in maintainability or a decrease in
complexity. Furthermore, based on these insights, the teams can come up with new strategies
to continuously improve the product.
SOLID Principles
Single Responsibility Principle (SRP): A class should have only one reason to change,
meaning it should have only one responsibility or job. This promotes code that is easier to
understand, maintain, and test.
Open/Closed Principle (OCP): Software entities (classes, modules, functions, etc.) should
be open for extension but closed for modification. This encourages the use of abstraction and
polymorphism to allow for adding new functionality without altering existing code, reducing
the risk of introducing bugs.
Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP): Objects of a superclass should be replaceable with
objects of its subclasses without affecting the correctness of the program. This ensures that
subclasses adhere to the contracts established by their superclasses, preventing unexpected
behavior.
Source: Barbara Liskov, 1987, at the Conference on Data Abstraction and Hierarchy
Interface Segregation Principle (ISP): Clients should not be forced to depend on interfaces
they do not use. Instead of having large, monolithic interfaces, it’s better to have smaller,
more focused interfaces, which reduces the impact of changes and minimizes dependencies.
Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP): High-level modules should not depend on low-
level modules; both should depend on abstractions. Abstractions should not depend on
details; details should depend on abstractions. By decoupling modules through abstractions,
the code becomes more flexible, reusable, and easier to test.
Source of remaining principles: Robert C. Martin, Agile software development, principles,
patterns, and practices
YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It)

4. Do not add new features until they are required. Developers can keep away from over-
engineering, thus avoiding complexities and maintenance burdens next time. The strategy is
to produce minimalistic, condensed code designs that emphasize existing functionalities. It
helps eliminate features that will not be necessary in the future. Avoid adding things to the
project unless it is 100% required. This makes project simpler and saves time.
Source: Extreme Programming
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) by Kelly Johnson
Make designs and implementations simple. The ease with which developers can comprehend
the code and maintain it is determined by their choice of straightforward rather than
unnecessarily complex solutions. The KISS principle is about keeping it simple and straight,
allowing it to have shorter production times and reduce the chance of mistakes or
unforeseeable outcomes.
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas
Reduce repetition of common functionality by abstracting it. This principle forces developers
to put all the logic in the center, minimizing code duplication and maintaining uniformity.
Following the DRY principle makes maintainability easier since the changes only need to be
made once, hence improving code readability, maintainability, and scalability.
Conclusion
For organizations wanting to avoid technical debt in the long run or those currently burdened
with it, maintaining clean code practices in the development process is the ultimate solution,
especially when these practices are aligned with project requirements and organizational
standards. By deeply understanding and implementing these principles, companies can reduce
technical debt, ensuring project longevity and success.
Why Choose Sparity
Whether you aim for Android, web applications, or websites, our future-proof, robust
solutions are initiated with deep technical understanding and a keen awareness of the
business requirements of your projects.
Sparity’s expertise in software development brings added value to your projects. Contact us
now to enhance your development process. Book a free consultation with our experienced
developers today.