Andie Nordgren – Agency in Code Landscapes - The Case for Maintenance
“Software is an interesting medium. At least in theory, once you make something and it doesn’t become successful, it doesn’t cost anything to change your mind. You can just stop running it.” Software is built upon software, forming a complex and often invisible dependency tree. This is the world Andie Nordgren (she/her) navigates, where large and aging codebases are like dynamic landscapes—constantly evolving, with each shift potentially introducing unexpected obstacles. Andie shares her reflections and learnings from working in organizations that live or die by their ability to navigate and operate with really large code bases. Tools like Wardley mapping can help uncover hidden dependencies and elevate maintenance from a mere afterthought to an organizational priority. Andie highlights the crucial yet often overlooked role of maintenance, challenging us to ask: Are we truly maintaining agency over our code? In the rush to deliver new features and products, the long-term sustainability of our codebases often falls by the wayside. She argues that organizations, in their quest for rapid delivery, neglect the importance of maintaining agency within these vast code landscapes.
