The age old question: "To refactor or not to refactor"
Should
you upgrade your code base? Should you move to the cloud? Should you
spend thousands of dollars now on something that you won't see direct
value from?
Almost always the answer is yes. Here are the reasons:
- More developers to choose from/attract (no body wants to work on outdated tech)
- Developer satisfaction (average developer jumps jobs every two years)
- Ability to develop faster and make changes (this is the reason for new tech)
- Eliminate bugs (the endless loop of fixing one bug to create five more)
- Compete with new emerging companies (take it from a developer, I don't want to work on old code...not to mention as a customer I want a fast UI that looks like Facebook or Google)
- Save money on developers (the reality is you will either get incompetent developers or grossly overpay)
I
know it may cost more now. But it will cost a heck of a lot more later.
I have seen it countless times. Short-sidedness to not make the right
decision to refactor. Do you have 10...20...30...50 developers dedicated to
maintaining and fixing bugs on an outdated code base. These resources
can be allocated to developing new features and improvements instead of to upkeep.
I am not saying jump on the
latest greatest technology that may disappear in a year. But if you are
hosting your site on Windows Server 2003 or your code is written in
VBScript... take the wise words of Beyonce...let me upgrade you!
Do
you need help figuring out if you should commit the money to upgrade
your code base and/or technology? Visit our website and contact us contact@levelforward.com for your FREE consultation.
Follow us on twitter @levelforward & Ilya @waitingfortoday