Refactoring—the word alone evokes mixed feelings among many developers. Perhaps it makes you think of effort, time that doesn’t directly contribute to new features, or even unnecessary perfectionism. But refactoring is so much more. It’s the key to better, more maintainable software and more efficient teamwork. In this article, I’d like to share my thoughts and experiences with you—including a personal moment that made me realize the true meaning of refactoring.
When Tests Become a Challenge
I love rewriting code to make it simpler, clearer, and ultimately more valuable. One of my top priorities is ensuring that the code becomes testable in the first place. When everything is crammed into a single class, the corresponding test will be just as complex and hard to understand. Maybe you know the feeling: you see a massive class and feel almost discouraged from writing tests at all. That’s where the problem begins.
Legacy code accumulates faster than you think. It often starts innocently—a proof of concept (POC) or a small workaround that quickly finds its way into production code because it “works.” But over the years, more workarounds are added, like balconies on an old building. Eventually, you’re left with an unmanageable “salad” of code that’s barely maintainable.
When Refactoring Brings Clarity
The beauty of refactoring lies in the moment afterward: when you suddenly see how clear and well-structured the code has become. Suddenly, the tests are also comprehensible and manageable. It hits you—“It can be this simple!” But before that comes a major hurdle: doubt.
Is refactoring really worth it?
Isn’t it just additional cost?
Who does it even help?
I often ask myself these questions. Added to this are pressure and expectations—from yourself, your team, or the product owner—to work quickly and deliver new features. But software development is about more than just programming features. The code must remain understandable and maintainable in the long term—not just for you but for others as well.
A wise colleague once told me: “You should be able to read code like a book.” Even someone without programming experience should be able to understand what the code does based on method names, class names, and variable names. These words have stayed with me ever since.
My Personal Aha Moment
A few months ago, I had a moment that made me realize the importance of refactoring again. We were tasked with extending a function: when pasting from the clipboard, data should automatically be transferred into a table and correctly formatted. I found the relevant section of code—it was messy, unnecessarily complex, and fragile.
After familiarizing myself with it, I asked myself the crucial question: “Okay, you’ve understood the code. Will you just adapt it or fundamentally improve it?” My answer was: “Refactor.”
I didn’t want to risk that I or someone else would spend hours understanding this code again in two months. So I got to work. In the end, I was able to reduce the code by about 80%—thanks to clear structuring and regular expressions. The code was suddenly clean and understandable.
The Moment of Confirmation
As luck would have it, one or two sprints later another ticket landed in our sprint: the function needed further extension. When I saw my colleague’s pull request for this task, my eyes lit up. The other developer was able to quickly understand the clear code and implement the desired extension with just a few lines. In that moment, all my doubts vanished. I knew: the refactoring had paid off.
This moment showed me why refactoring is so important—not just for myself but for the entire team. It saves time and nerves in the long run and makes the code accessible to everyone.
Refactoring: Cost or Investment?
Of course, before every major refactoring effort, you ask yourself: Is it worth it? Often it feels like a pure cost issue—time spent without immediate benefit. But this is precisely where the mistake lies: refactoring isn’t an expense; it’s an investment in your project’s future.
Better Maintainability: Clearly structured code saves time on future changes.
Improved Testability: Small classes and methods result in manageable tests.
Reduced Frustration: Developers can onboard quickly and work productively.
Long-Term Efficiency: Every day invested in refactoring pays off multiple times over.
Courage for Refactoring
Refactoring takes courage—the courage to embrace change and invest in quality over quantity. But this courage pays off. My personal aha moment showed me that clean software development isn’t just about elegance; it’s about efficiency and teamwork.
So go ahead! Recognize the value of refactorings and celebrate them—even if their benefits aren’t immediately visible. In the end, we all benefit from less stress, less frustration, and more joy in development.
How do you approach refactoring? Have you had similar experiences? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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