Surfing the JavaScript Wave: Embracing Incremental Change in Real World Software Projects

The JS ecosystem moves forward at a break-neck pace. New paradigms, frameworks, and tools are released seemingly every day. React Hooks are a recent example of this, with many software houses dropping tools in a race to rewrite their codebase to use the new techniques. But what do you do if you’re in a small team, managing a non-trivial sized codebase, with limited time to invest in staying on the bleeding edge?

Deciding to adopt new technologies is not a straightforward process. It’s a constant battle of weighing up the pros and cons of emergent tools and technologies; considering both the accumulation of technical debt, the potential risks of early adoption vs. the potential for huge productivity or product value gains.

In real-world scenarios, it is often not appropriate to drop tools and rewrite all your existing code to utilize something new. A balance must be found between keeping your knives sharp and still delivering a constant flow of business value. How can we balance these two seemingly incompatible workflows?

Grab your surfboard and ride the wave…

A Process for Incremental Change

In the Mobile & Practice squad at DataCamp, we have embraced a methodology of…