I've wasted countless hours through the years on slow feedback loops. Over time, I learned: If the feedback loop is slow, job #1 is to ask: Is there a way to make the feedback loop fast?
Fast feedback loops lower stress, aid focus, foster creativity, and reduce risk.
Fast feedback loops lower stress, aid focus, foster creativity, and reduce risk.
Practices that foster fast feedback loops:
- Build in isolation (build outside the monolith, then inject at the end)
- Call local, mock data structures
- Create "throwaway" branches for experiments
- Experiment in a REPL
- Prototype
- Create a minimum viable product
- Build in isolation (build outside the monolith, then inject at the end)
- Call local, mock data structures
- Create "throwaway" branches for experiments
- Experiment in a REPL
- Prototype
- Create a minimum viable product
My desire for fast feedback loops led me to specialize in JavaScript. I can easily code in isolation, I have full control over my dev environment, and I can typically instantly see the results upon save.
