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Start-ups: How do you find the right balance between setting up automated testing, code reviews, refactoring, etc. and staying lean/MVP minded?
JC
JC
Jason Cohen, Founder at WP Engine answered:

Fast to market, end of story.

I built and sold a company that's now doing $XX millions/year in code review tools specifically, so if anyone should push for code reviews and other "proper" development practices, it's me. :-)

But you shouldn't at first. Ship things that delight people. Change the product to match what people really need. Let function and form follow pain and need and checkbooks.

You will accumulate technical debt. GOOD. That means you're spending time derisking the business, which is your primary job always, but never more so than at the start.

You will have to pay that down later. So your goal is to get the business to the point where it's doing so well, that tech debt is actually hindering you AND you have some resources to devote to it.

Good problem to have. Most companies never get to the point of having the problem. That's the point!

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