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How requirements become running software, and how to debug and ship it.

Topics

• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)Expected level: Working

  Understand how requirements become deployed software.

  Not reviewed
• Requirements and User StoriesExpected level: Working

  Translate business needs into technical work.

  Not reviewed
• Reading Existing CodeExpected level: Proficient

  Learn strategies for understanding unfamiliar codebases.

  Not reviewed
• Navigating Large CodebasesExpected level: Proficient

  Find where functionality is implemented without asking others.

  Not reviewed
• Debugging FundamentalsExpected level: Proficient

  Isolate and fix defects in code using a debugger and small, targeted experiments.

  Not reviewed
• Reproducing BugsExpected level: Proficient

  Turn vague complaints into repeatable scenarios.

  Not reviewed
• Incremental Problem SolvingExpected level: Proficient

  Break large problems into small verifiable steps.

  Not reviewed
• Build vs Run vs DeployExpected level: Working

  Understand the different stages of software delivery.

  Not reviewed
• Environments (Dev, Test, Staging, Production)Expected level: Working

  Understand why separate environments exist and how they differ.

  Not reviewed
• CI/CD BasicsExpected level: Working

  Understand automated builds, tests, and deployments through pipelines.

  Not reviewed
• Refactoring BasicsExpected level: Working

  Improve code without changing behavior.

  Not reviewed
• Technical DebtExpected level: Awareness

  Recognize shortcuts and understand their long-term costs.

  Not reviewed
• Licensing and Open SourceExpected level: Awareness

  Know that every dependency has license terms; consult Legal when unsure.

  Not reviewed

Self-assessment

You should be able to do each of these without help.

• Trace a released change from the requirement to production. Find its ticket, pull request, pipeline run and the deployed version, and say who was involved at each stage and where it could have been sent back.Related: Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Requirements and User Stories, CI/CD Basics
• Rewrite a ticket as a user story with acceptance criteria. Write the criteria as Given, When, Then, and list the questions you would ask before starting.Related: Requirements and User Stories
• Find where a feature is implemented in an unfamiliar codebase. Use search, the folder structure and the debugger to trace from what a user sees to the code that produces it.Related: Navigating Large Codebases, Reading Existing Code
• Reproduce a bug and reduce it to a minimal case. Write down the steps and input that trigger it, using the same version and environment as the report, ideally as a failing test or script.Related: Reproducing Bugs
• Find the cause of a bug with the debugger. Set a breakpoint, step through, read the call stack, find where the first wrong value appears, state the root cause and add a test that fails without the fix.Related: Debugging Fundamentals, Root Cause Analysis
• Break a large task into small steps that can each be verified. After every step the code should still build and you should be able to tell whether it works.Related: Incremental Problem Solving
• Explain the difference between build, run, and deploy. Say where each happens and which problems show up in which step.Related: Build vs Run vs Deploy, CI/CD Basics
• Explain why dev, test, and production environments exist and how they differ. Give an example of a change that should be tried in test before it reaches production.Related: Environments (Dev, Test, Staging, Production)
• Describe what a CI pipeline does when a commit is pushed. List the usual steps, such as build, tests and checks, and say what you would do when one of them fails.Related: CI/CD Basics