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You've just written a pile of code to deliver some important feature under pressure. You've cut a few corners, you've mashed some code into some over-bloated classes with names like SerialIndirectionShutoffManager..
You tell your boss you're going to need a week to clean this stuff up.
"Clean what up?"
"My code - its a pigsty!"
"You mean there's some more bug fixing?"
"Not really, its more like.."
"You're gonna make it run faster?"
"Perhaps, buts thats not.."
"Then you should have written it properly when you had the chance. Now I'm glad you're here, yeah, I'm gonna have to go ahead and ask you to come in this weekend.. "
I've read Matin Fowler's book, but I'm not sure I agree with his advice on this matter:
Both these methods squirm out of the need to communicate with your manager.
What do you tell your boss?
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The goal of refactoring is to improve internal code by making many small changes without altering the code's external behavior. Computer programmers and software developers refactor code to improve the design, structure and implementation of software. Refactoring improves code readability and reduces complexities.
Refactoring consists of changing the internal structure of the code in a way that doesn't modify its behavior. This makes the code more maintainable and easier to understand. It enables the developers in the team to keep complexity under control.
Refactoring may lessen performance, but the change may be negligible. You need to balance the change in the maintainability of the code vs. the change in its performance.
Examples are: adding, removing, and introducing new parameters, replacing the parameter with the explicit method and method call, parameterize method, making a separate query from modifier, preserve the whole object, remove setting method, etc.
It's important to include refactoring time in your original estimates. Going to your boss after you've delivered the product and then telling him that you're not actually done is lying about being done. You didn't actually make the deliverable deadline. It's like a surgeon doing surgery and then not making sure he put everything back the way it was supposed to be.
It is important to include all the parts of development (e.g. refactoring, usability research, testing, QA, revisions) in your original schedules. Ultimately this isn't so much a management problem as a programmer problem.
If, however, you've inherited a mess then you will have to explain to the boss that the last set of programmers in a rush to get the project out the door cut corners and that it's been limping along. You can band-aid the problem for awhile (as they likely did), but each band-aid just delays the problem and ultimately makes the problem that much more expensive to fix.
Be honest with your boss and understand that a project isn't done until it's done.
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Speak in a language he can understand.
Refactoring is paying design debt.
Ask your boss why he pays the company credit card bill every month vs not paying it until there is a collections notice. Tell him refactoring is like making your monthly payment.
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