We review our code, so why not our goals?

On the first day of this year, I shared some thoughts about my quarterly review process, and why I find it more beneficial than one big annual review.

Here we are today at the end of the first quarter, so this quarterly review process is front of mind for me again. I was talking to a couple other developers about this quarterly (and smaller weekly) review process, and the reaction was interesting.

Both were willing to admit that they could see the benefits of this process, and how it had clearly helped me in my goals, but they rejected the idea for themselves because they didn't have the time. They already felt that they weren't getting everything done that they wanted, so even spending a few extra hours a quarter or a half hour a week would just put them further behind.

Let's think about this as a parallel to code review for a moment.

Code review undeniably slows down the speed of shipping code. If you didn't wait for someone else to review and test your code, it could get into production more quickly.

But most developers would cringe at that thought. Shipping with no review or testing feels too risky! And if a bug slips through to production, it's going to take more time and be a bigger interruption as an urgent fix.

My argument is that reviewing goals and taking a little bit of regular time to plan is a very similar tradeoff.

Yes, it takes time to review and plan. No doubt about that. And yes, we are already "behind" - I don't know a single person who has time to do everything they want to accomplish.

But none of that invalidates the value of taking time once a week to plan our work, or to do a larger review/planning session once a quarter. This process won't stop a bug from reaching production, but it will keep you focused on the things that matter most in your life. You'll avoid wasting time on less important tasks and I have seen personally that I actually get more work done overall by sticking with this process.

I understand if you're still skeptical, I was too when I first started, but I strongly encourage you to give it a try and see for yourself.

Here to help,

Joel

P.S. You know what else takes a little extra time, but has huge payoffs? Writing automated tests! Whether you want Aaron's no-nonsense drill instructor motivation or my more gentle coaxing, we can help you get started.