Debugging Complex Stuff Luiz // luiz.dev 

Debugging code 1. Signals 2. 3. 4. 

Signals ◦ Linting ◦ StackTrace ◦ TVs Monitoring on the wall ◦ Performance drop ◦ Higher number of tickets ◦ Unexpected side-effects 

Signals ◦ Might be false positives ‍♂ ◦ But we can't ignore them. Gotta give them some love ◦ Regardless if it’s a false positive it’s good for us — we learn and improve ourselves for the future 

Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. 4. 

Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. 

Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat See error line WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help 

Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/ 

Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has reached production (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I broke the build! ‍♂ Let me try to fix it. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply 

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Debugging code 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/ 

Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/ 

Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. 3. 4. 

Signals ◦ Linting ◦ StackTrace ◦ TVs Monitoring on the wall ◦ Performance drop ◦ Higher number of tickets ◦ Unexpected side-effects ◦ Muscle tension ◦ Insomnia || Can't focus ◦ Acidic stomach . ◦ How people are reacting ◦ Irritability || Taking out on others ◦ Relationships starting to degrade 

Signals ◦ Might be false positives ‍♂ ◦ But we can't ignore them. Gotta give them some love ◦ Regardless if it’s a false positive it’s good for us — we learn and improve ourselves for the future Are we just a “bag of chemicals”? 

Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. 4. 

Debugging Oneself 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. 

Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat See error line WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help 

Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat WTH could be wrong? Try to identify the cause When was it better? What changed? Smt I've done? Smt external and I can't change? Maybe my part is fine but due the context, it doesn't work? Ask for help 

Debugging ourselves 1. Signals 2. Admit something is off 3. Analyze context && Test hypothesis && Repeat 4. Make it better & Learn \o/ 

Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has reached production (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I broke the build! ‍♂ Let me try to fix it. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply 

Make it better & Learn \o/ ◦ The sooner the better ◦ Even if (especially if) it has had consequences (duh!) ◦ If we're in a safe environment we usually feel safe & supported to say: "Yo! Sorry! I messed up! ‍♂ Let me try to be better next time. Help is welcome" ◦ Monitor more / more often / more deeply 

On improving our “debugging” skills 

Debugging code skills ◦ Can you imagine your career without the mentoring you’ve received, the 1-1s with your managers, the candid feedback, the hard conversations, the books, courses, conferences, proper tooling…? 

Debugging ourselves skills ◦ So why when it comes to our mental health and soft skills we take the isolationist approach and just wing it? ◦ There are similarly tons of resources, practices and professionals for improving our own debugging! ◦ Let’s chat and share what works for us. 

Happy Debugging Complex Stuff