ratchet approach
Planted Jul 2021 Tended 5 years ago Linked from 1 note
Contents
Named for a tool that tightens in only one direction, this is an approach to systems change where you introduce a balancing feedback loop to stop things from getting worse in order to prevent regression while making things better. Of course, this can also work the other way, where a balancing feedback look keeps things from getting better while randomness/entropy makes them occasionally worse, an unsustainable trajectory.
The ratchet approach is a valuable tool for managing technical Migrations. One example is the colorfully-named shitlist approach.
Examples
- Jordan Raine gave a talk at RailsConf 2018 about this kind of approach, specifically for preventing new usage of deprecated code while gradually eliminating old usage.