Maintainable

In this episode of Maintainable, Robby chats with Paola Ducolin, Staff Engineer at Datadog. Paola shares her insights on the characteristics of well-maintained software, the common struggles teams face, and effective strategies for working with stakeholders to prioritize refactoring.Key Topics Discussed:Characteristics of Maintainable Software: Paola explains the importance of well-documented code and having tests that automatically detect breaks.Challenges in Maintaining Software: The impact of business pressures on maintaining code quality and how teams can navigate these challenges.Working with Stakeholders: Strategies for communicating the importance of refactoring and measuring the impact of technical debt on business objectives.Role of Staff Engineers: Paola’s journey to becoming a staff engineer and the responsibilities that come with the role, including coordination and networking.Documentation and Design Systems: The power of documentation and how design systems can serve as a model for well-document