You're juggling bug fixes and new features. How do you ensure project deadlines are met?

manage your workload effectively, you must prioritize tasks based on their impact and urgency. Bug fixes that affect core functionality or security should take precedence over minor glitches.

"A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow." — George S. Patton To meet deadlines while juggling bug fixes and new features, I’d prioritize tasks based on their urgency and impact. Critical bugs that affect user experience would take precedence, while less pressing features can be scheduled for later sprints. I’d also set realistic timelines with the team, making sure there’s clear communication with stakeholders about potential trade-offs. By regularly reviewing progress in daily standups and adjusting as needed, I’d ensure we stay on track, delivering high-quality work without overwhelming the team.

Careful allocation of resources is critical when juggling bug fixes and new features. Assign your most experienced developers to the most complex problems, and consider bringing in additional help for large-scale features.

To ensure project deadlines are met while juggling bug fixes and new features using Agile methodology, I prioritize tasks by maintaining a well-groomed backlog and setting realistic sprint goals based on team capacity. Daily standups provide visibility into progress and help resolve blockers quickly, while work-in-progress (WIP) limits reduce context switching. Clear communication with stakeholders manages expectations, and retrospectives identify areas for improvement. By focusing on incremental delivery and adhering to a clear definition of "done," I balance feature development and bug fixes effectively, ensuring deadlines are met.

Embracing Agile methodologies can help your team respond to changes quickly and efficiently. Agile promotes iterative development, where work is done in small increments, allowing for frequent reassessment and realignment of project goals.

Technical debt like a financial debt has an interest that grow exponentially. Unfortunately, it means that at some point in time you either have to pay it off or go default. There are multiple ways to agree on how frequently you will close the debt: fixed capacity every time period or some may take a stabilization sprints. The important thing here is to make it systematically rather than in emergency mode.

Technical debt is often unavoidable, but it's essential to keep it in mind and write code with the goal of minimizing it. While sometimes new debt must be introduced in urgent situations, it should only happen when absolutely critical. Proper documentation and planning for resolution are crucial when this occurs. Addressing existing technical debt is always beneficial, but timing is key. Since tackling it takes time and focus, it's best to do so during "low tides" when the team has the bandwidth to investigate and resolve it thoroughly. Managing technical debt thoughtfully ensures long-term code quality without sacrificing current productivity.

Implementing continuous testing throughout the development process can prevent last-minute scrambles to fix bugs. Automated testing frameworks can run a suite of tests each time code is checked in, catching issues early.