Former-developers Code Ownership: Governance’s First Enemy

Identifying Former Developers and Their Code Contributions

Former developers are individuals who have left an organization but still hold significant ownership of parts of the codebase they contributed to while employed. Despite no longer being part of the active development team, their influence remains embedded within the code through the lines of code (LOC) they authored. This residual ownership can lead to long-term challenges for companies in managing and maintaining their software effectively.

The challenge of former developers’ code ownership is not just technical but also organizational. Over time, these legacy contributions can become bottlenecks, with current developers hesitant to modify or refactor parts of the code owned by someone no longer available to consult. This creates a scenario where governance becomes weak, code complexity grows unchecked, and technical debt accumulates, putting the entire project at risk.

Calculate Former Developer Ownership Regularly

Calculating the Ownership of Former Developers

Understanding how much influence a former developer still has on a codebase is crucial to addressing this governance problem. The most direct method is to calculate their ownership by counting the lines of code they contributed to the project. This can be done through a version control system like Git, where each commit logs who wrote or modified each line of code.

Here’s how it works:

For every file in the repository, inspect the author of each line of code.

Sum up all the lines owned by a particular former developer across the project.

Measure this number as a percentage of the total lines of code in the project to understand their impact.

This method gives a clear picture of how deeply a former developer’s contributions are entrenched in the codebase. If a high percentage of the code still belongs to someone no longer part of the team, that’s a red flag for governance and maintainability. This high concentration of ownership by former developers signals potential risks, as the code might have aged without proper updates or refactoring, leaving technical debt that is difficult to manage.

Then you need to aggregate the values on the teams’ level, on the outsourcing companies’ level, and on the modules’ level. This can give you an amazing overview of where your next knowledge transfer needs to happen.

Addressing Former Developers’ Ownership Through Code Dilution

Once former developers’ code ownership is identified, the next step is fixing it to ensure better governance of the codebase. The most effective way to do this is by diluting their code. Dilution refers to the process of spreading out or reducing the impact of any one individual’s contributions, particularly those no longer with the organization.

This can be done in several ways:

Refactor Legacy Code: Start by reviewing the areas of the codebase where former developers have high ownership. Encourage the team to refactor these sections, updating them with modern practices and improving maintainability. This not only dilutes the code but also reduces technical debt.

Assign Ownership to Active Developers: Make sure that current team members are assigned to sections of the code heavily owned by former developers. They should be responsible for understanding, maintaining, and updating that code. Over time, their own contributions will dilute the former developer’s impact.

Promote Pair Programming and Code Reviews: Encourage active collaboration on legacy code through pair programming or structured code reviews. This spreads the knowledge of the codebase across multiple team members, reducing the risk that one person’s departure will leave a void.

DON’T

Never Rely on Single-Developer!

Knowledge transfer, code refactoring and continious improvement are key for team success.

By taking deliberate steps to dilute former developers’ ownership, organizations can regain control over their codebase, reduce the risk of technical debt, and foster a healthier governance structure where no part of the code is dependent on someone who is no longer part of the team.

In conclusion, former developers’ code ownership can be a significant threat to code governance, leading to maintainability issues and technical debt. Calculating ownership and taking steps to dilute it ensures that the codebase remains healthy and maintainable, even as developers come and go.

Did you know?

Codenteam automatically analyzes and reports code ownership on single developer level.