Refactor code

…product development, completing product backlog items.

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A small code base contains less bugs and takes less effort to maintain. You can invest the extra time in building out your product and profit.

Refactoring encompasses any changes to the system that leaves its behavior unchanged while enhancing nonfunctional quality (i.e. simplicity, flexibility, understandability, or performance).

Not gardening your code will eventually snap you into firefighting mode. See firefight no more.

Therefore:

Take every opportunity to eliminate redundant code and rewrite code, making it more elegant.

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focus on quality and speed will follow

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The cost of a story includes providing the capability and maintaining a healthy codebase for future work.

—Martin Fowler

Refactoring is something that be done opportunistically, as a regular part of your programming work.

—Martin Fowler

Sources

• XProgramming » Ron Jeffries » Refactoring — Not on the backlog!
• Martin Fowler » Martin Fowler » Opportunistic Refactoring

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