The best test of your engineering is what happens when you step away. If someone has to message you "how does this work?" — you failed. Systems should keep running. Pipelines should keep deploying. Dashboards should keep updating.
This is the most intentional part of my engineering practice: building for the person who comes after me.
The Test
Before I consider any system "done," I ask: "Could a mid-level engineer, who has never seen this code, operate it without contacting me?"
If the answer is no, I'm not done. The code might work, but it's not complete.
What "Operability" Looks Like
1. README That Answers the First 5 Questions
Every new engineer asks the same 5 questions:
- What does this do?
- How do I run it locally?
- How do I deploy it?
- Where are the logs?
- Who do I contact if it breaks?
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