Why good coding practices matter? (And how we can make them happen)
Varghese Chacko
Technology Executive | Director of Engineering & AI Strategy | Enterprise AI, GenAI & Automation Leader | Scaling AI-Powered Cloud & DevOps | Digital Transformation
Ever had a project that started off great but turned into a tangled mess over time? Maybe new features take longer and longer to develop. Maybe bugs keep popping up in places no one expected. Maybe your best developers are spending more time fixing old problems than building new solutions.
That’s the cost of bad coding practices. It’s not just about messy code—it’s about wasted time, frustrated developers, and software that becomes harder to maintain with every update.
As a CXO, you don’t need to know how to write code to understand that bad code is bad business. The longer issues go unchecked, the more they slow things down, drive up costs, and create unnecessary risks. But here’s the good news: with the right approach, you can enforce good coding habits across your teams without slowing them down. In fact, the right habits will make them faster, more productive, and much happier.
Let us talk about what good coding looks like and how you can make it part of your company’s DNA.
1. Catch bad code before it becomes a problem
If developers only review their own code, things will slip through the cracks. That’s why tools like Static Code Analysis exist. Think of it as a second set of eyes that constantly scans for errors, inefficiencies, and security risks.
By integrating tools like SonarQube, ESLint, or Pylint into your development process, you can automatically catch problems before they ever make it into production. This means fewer last-minute fire drills and fewer late-night bug fixes.
Want to dig deeper into how this works? Read more about it here.
2. Developers should review their own code first
Most developers rely on peer reviews to catch mistakes. That’s good, but it’s even better when they catch their own mistakes first.
There’s a simple trick called Rubber Duck Debugging (yes, really). It involves explaining your code out loud—sometimes to an actual rubber duck, sometimes just to yourself. This forces you to slow down and think through your logic in a way that often reveals hidden issues.
If developers get into this habit, they’ll write better code the first time, which means faster reviews and fewer back-and-forths. More on this concept here.
3. Measure code quality with automated metrics
How do you know if your code is getting better or worse? You measure it.
Automated code metrics track things like complexity, duplication, and maintainability. If a function is getting too long or a file is being modified too often, that’s a sign something needs to be refactored.
Tools like SonarQube, CodeClimate, and Radon provide real-time insights into your code’s health, so you can fix small problems before they become big ones. More on that here.
4. Stop debugging the hard way—use better testing
Debugging shouldn’t feel like guesswork. If your developers are adding print statements everywhere to “see what’s happening,” they’re wasting time.
Encourage structured debugging techniques and automated unit testing. A strong testing culture ensures that every change is tested before it goes live, which means fewer production bugs and fewer surprise outages.
Read a guide to better debugging habits here.
5. Keep track of code changes & avoid technical debt
If your team is constantly rolling back bad changes, struggling with unclear commit messages, or introducing quick fixes that never get cleaned up, you have a technical debt problem.
Think of technical debt like financial debt. If you don’t pay it off (by refactoring and improving the codebase), it gets worse over time—slowing everything down and making new development harder.
Make sure your team follows structured Git workflows, writes meaningful commit messages, and actively tracks technical debt. More on managing this here.
6. Prioritize code readability & maintainability
Unreadable code is expensive. Every time a developer has to stop and figure out what a function does, it costs time and money.
The best way to fix this? Make sure your code is readable. That means:
Want to know more? Read about it here.
7. Make logging & error handling a priority
When something goes wrong, good logging is the difference between finding the issue in seconds and spending hours digging through the code.
Your logs should be structured, clear, and meaningful. That means:
More on logging best practices here.
8. Make refactoring a regular habit
Most teams put off refactoring, saying “We’ll clean it up later.” The problem is, later never comes.
If you don’t make refactoring part of your workflow, technical debt piles up. Encourage your teams to dedicate time each sprint to refactoring old code and improving maintainability. It’s an investment that pays off in the long run.
How to set up structured refactoring sessions here.
9. Monitor performance & resource usage before it is a problem
A system that runs smoothly today might not scale well tomorrow.
Instead of waiting for performance issues to surface, track CPU usage, memory consumption, API response times, and database query performance in real time.
Tools like New Relic, Datadog, and Prometheus make it easy to spot bottlenecks before they slow down your application. More on performance monitoring here.
10. Learn from open-source best practices
One of the fastest ways to improve code quality? Look at how the best open-source projects do it.
Studying Django, React, FastAPI, Linux Kernel, and other well-maintained projects teaches your team how to structure their code better, write cleaner functions, and follow industry best practices.
Want to see how open-source code can level up your development? Read this.
Final thoughts: Lead the change from the top
Good coding practices don’t just happen—they need leadership support. If you’re a CXO, your role isn’t to write code, but to set expectations, provide the right tools, and enforce best practices that make your teams more productive and your software more reliable.
By embedding these ten practices into your company culture, you’re reducing long-term costs, improving development speed, and ensuring your systems remain scalable and maintainable.
What’s your company doing to enforce good coding habits? Let’s talk. ??
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