You’re a programmer who wants to solve problems faster. What’s the first step you should take?

Understanding the problem clearly and find the root cause where and why it occurs. After that we need to execute different scenarios, in which the problem could raise, find out the worst cases. Traverse the problem from beginning to end and then find out the solution rather than before jumping to solve.

The method I first use to understand the problem is to first find where it's located in the codebase, and what interactions cause the bug to trigger. From there I'll use different types of code to see if I can get other interactions to trigger the bug, and search for any edge cases. I'll also use the Better Comments extension in VS Code to leave appropriate comments about the bug, or detail the logic flow in case it's quite convuluted. This is normally on the case with multiple functions executing other functions.

Good problem-solving begins with a good understanding of the problem statement. Identify the inputs, outputs, constraints, and requirements specified in the problem. Make sure you are clear about the requirements of the problem and any special conditions or edges. Note any special conditions or restrictions that may affect the solution or cover all the edge cases. By understanding all the details of the problem, clear strategies and solutions can be developed.

Normally I'll break down the problem using code, so let's take the example of a function that uses 3 other pure functions. I would check what the input and output is for each of the 3 pure functions that's being executed. Then if all the results checkout, I'll check the larger function that are executing them, specifically their input and output. I need to also take into account different edge cases, such as wrong data types, for all the functions being executed in the logical chain. I find it also helps to automate unit tests for each pure function that will help detect these edge cases.

Breakdown the larger problem into multiple small problems. Solve them one after other, approaching towards the problem in sequential manner which keeps us focused. Use of test cases in JavaScript and many scripting languages helps us to verify code functionality partly.

The best strategy to arrive a solution is by making a flow of steps to make it simpler. Try to optimize the solution within the resources - Programming language, Operating system, execution time.,

When you implement your solution, please follow some basic coding standards: good naming conventions, use of correct syntax, pure functions that don't mutate data, and linters, Prettier, and your debugger to check code. If you follow the above, you won't need to write comments because your code should be self-explanatory. However, if it's quite confusing to read, then include some comments for yourself and your colleagues. After you get everything to work consistently, then you can focus on other aspects such as optimization or DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) code.

In terms of web development, the most common testing I recommend using are unit, API, and end-to-end (i.e. e2e) tests. Since I work in JavaScript, I recommend Jest and Vitest for unit tests, Postman for API tests, and Playwright for e2e tests. You can get away with executing your tests manually, but if the project is quite big then you'll want to consider automating them to constantly test them throughout development and production life cycles. Having a linter, such as ESLint for HTML and JS, is also especially handy to follow good coding conventions that prevents creating accidental bugs while in production.

I always set time aside for code reviews, especially for my own side projects. I try to ask other people at my job, in groups I've joined, or sometimes online, such as StackOverflow or Twitter. If you don't have consistent access to those resources, you can ask some sort of AI. However, note that you should take everything with a grain of salt because it's not infallibile. Although I will admit that a majority of the paid ones are good enough to help you with most problems. In the last case scenario, I will take a look at the code myself for a self code review. There are metrics you can follow like Page Speed Insights or the Form Troubleshooter extension to help improve your code as well.