Consistency vs. Change: Refactoring

Consistency conflicts with change. Rules and guidelines tend to favor consistency during development. Yet Agile calls for being receptive to change. How do you resolve that apparent conflict in an Agile context? The key is timing.

Consistency

Consistency provides significant value within a project. Consistency is a major factor in your ability to deliver a quality software product on time and within budget. In this context, consistency directly supports the Agile principle “Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months).”

Staying with a devil you know is generally a low-risk option when you are under the gun to hit hard deadline and budget targets. Change, in this context, can be extremely risky.