In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, “best practices” are often treated as sacred. Yet, blindly following these practices without tailoring them to your business needs can lead to suboptimal outcomes.
The goal of software development is making the lives of its users easier, whether it’s an internal tool, a consumer product or a B2B software as a service. Success in software development comes from understanding the needs of your users and choosing the best practices and design principles accordingly, not from a one-size-fits-all playbook.
Start with the End User
At the core of every successful software project is a thorough understanding of its users. Every architectural decision, every line of code, and every feature should be implemented with the end-user in mind. This focus ensures that your development efforts are directly contributing to creating value for those who will use your product. Don’t get stuck in the framework fights or Monolith vs Microservice debates. Learn to do what’s best for the users with the given resources.
Question Before You Implement
Before diving into new technologies or methodologies, critically assess their alignment with your project’s goals. Just because a technology is new or trending doesn’t mean it’s right for your project. The best technology choices are those that directly address the specific challenges you are facing. Example being, for a startup, a Python monolith with Django server and a single database works better than creating several Go/Rust Microservices.
Clean Code Matters More as Teams Grow
For an early project, completely focus on shipping even if that means you’re not following all the “standard” best practices like DRY (don’t repeat yourself) or SOLID.
Ofcourse as the product and team grows, clarity and maintainability of your codebase become important . At this stage adopt practices that promote readability and simplicity.
Things like clear naming conventions, comprehensive documentation, and consistent coding styles help new team members understand the codebase quickly and contribute effectively. This in turn helps in shipping features faster.
Strategic Decision-Making: Microservices and Beyond
Deciding to implement a microservices architecture, for example, should be driven by specific needs rather than by its popularity. While microservices offer significant benefits like scalability and flexibility, they also introduce complexity. Evaluate whether the benefits justify the complexity based on your specific requirements like maturity of your product, the scale it’s handling and difficulty in maintaining the monolith.
Conclusion
Let’s shift the focus back to what really matters in software development: solving real problems for real people. By aligning our strategies and technologies with the needs of our users, we not only build better products but also foster a culture of practical innovation and effectiveness in our teams.
Always remember, the best practices are those that serve your project’s unique needs and deliver value to the end users, not those that make you look cool on LinkedIn.
Aditya Rohilla 