To fix bugs or add new features?

This is a constant problem we developers face. How do you deal with the increasing number of bugs while also adding new features on a constant basis in an environment where the time is very limited? This article solves this decade-old question.

There are two main perspectives on that dilemma:

• Fix all bugs and add new features once everything works properly: You may have tests that check if things are working after all the changes to guarantee that the bugs stay fixed. This approach will slow you down because you’ll spend more time fixing at the expense of new functionality.
• Ignore the bugs and work on new features unless they are blocking your progress: This other approach focuses on adding new features while ignoring bugs for as long as possible to spend the majority of your time making progress towards the goal. Eventually you’ll have to go back and fix all the bugs you’ve created during the development

So which one is better? Which one should you choose?

It depends on the way you work. If you feel comfortable building features on top of a broken mountain, you may focus on developing first and fixing later.

This will be useful for Minimum Viable Products where you need to show something as soon as possible without being…