A salute to the perfectionists in your team

In the world of software development, we often come across teammates who seem to have an uncanny knack for details. They scrutinise each line of code, turning what initially feels like a straightforward code review into an endless journey of revisions. This meticulousness might appear fussy, and watching your hard work being picked apart can be frustrating. But over time, their commitment to precision reveals itself to be a catalyst for growth, transforming initial frustration into deep-seated appreciation.

Let me share a story with you. After several days of intensive coding, double-checking each line myself for a final round, I submitted a pull request and notified the team. The initial responses were as expected. A few "nit" comments here and some overlooked points there - all were addressed promptly, and I was hopeful for a swift conclusion to the review. But as more comments trickled in, what felt like near the end of the tunnel began to resemble a fall into a rabbit hole, with every fix sparking yet another round of discussions. Far from the smooth LGTM (Looks Good To Me) reviews I was hoping for, this process felt never-ending and was, in all honesty, quite frustrating. (By the way, if most PRs are LGTM you might want to review the process as well)

However, I can attest to the immense learning I gained from that singular review and the immense value embedded in the ensuing discussions in the comments.

On the other hand, an instance from my early days at Thoughtworks stayed with me. I was paired with a developer during my first project on a ticket. He frequently pointed out missed elements as we progressed through our task list, leading to further refinements and even significant refactoring. This elongated what was supposed to be an ordinary afternoon into a drawn-out session that felt 'long' in every sense of the word.