When Everything Is Broken, Where Do You Start?

📰 Dev.to · Michelle

Learn how to approach a broken system and prioritize fixes to get it up and running

intermediate Published 24 Jun 2026
Action Steps
  1. Assess the system's current state using tools like logging and monitoring to identify critical issues
  2. Prioritize fixes based on business impact and technical complexity
  3. Create a backlog of tasks to tackle the broken components
  4. Develop a plan to address technical debt and refactor code
  5. Implement automated testing to ensure stability and catch regressions
Who Needs to Know This

Developers, DevOps engineers, and technical leads can benefit from this approach when inheriting a new system

Key Insight

💡 Prioritizing fixes based on business impact and technical complexity is key to getting a broken system up and running

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💡 Got a broken system? Start by assessing, prioritizing, and planning your attack

Key Takeaways

Learn how to approach a broken system and prioritize fixes to get it up and running

Full Article

When you inherit a system you've never seen before and everything appears broken, where do you...
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