Have A Test Plan

In this video, we explore the value of including a clear test plan or demo with every code review. This simple but often overlooked practice builds trust, improves collaboration, and turns code reviews into lasting pieces of product and engineering history.

Key Takeaways:

• We always include a test plan or demo: Whether it's a video, GIF, image, or command-line instruction, we attach an artifact that shows what our code does—especially when it impacts visual or user-facing components.
• We demonstrate the actual behavior of our code: A video showing the happy-path functionality proves the feature works and saves reviewers from guessing or manually testing our changes.
• We create long-term product context: Test plans turn code reviews into searchable, durable documentation. They help future engineers (including ourselves) understand why a piece of code was written and what it was supposed to do.
• We reduce risk when extending legacy code: When we need to modify or build on old code, a past test plan often reveals how that code works, what features it powers, and how to avoid breaking it.
• We invest a few minutes now to save hours later: Including a test plan takes only 5–10 minutes but dramatically improves team empathy, speeds up reviews, and enhances the maintainability of the entire codebase.

This practice is one of the easiest and most impactful ways we show care for our teammates—and for the long-term health of the code we ship.