Software Engineering basics - Refactoring Strategies (Continuous Refactoring)

Refactoring is the process of improving the internal structure of code without changing its external behavior. Continuous refactoring integrates this activity into daily development rather than treating it as a separate phase.

Common refactoring strategies include extracting methods, reducing duplication, simplifying conditionals, improving naming, and decoupling dependencies. These techniques enhance readability, maintainability, and extensibility.

Continuous refactoring relies heavily on automated tests to ensure behavior remains unchanged. Test suites act as safety nets, enabling developers to restructure code with confidence.

In agile environments, refactoring supports incremental design evolution. Instead of upfront over-design, systems evolve organically as requirements become clearer.

When practiced consistently, refactoring reduces technical debt, lowers defect rates, and improves developer productivity over the long term.