Evaluating a software team's quality does not require complex metrics or hours of analysis. Joel Spolsky once introduced a straightforward twelve-question test that helps identify whether a team is disciplined, efficient, and capable of delivering high-quality software. You do not need to count lines of code or measure bug ratios. Just answer each question with yes or no.
📁 Do You Use Source Control?
If you are still zipping folders or emailing files to back up code, stop now. Use Git. Learn how .gitignore works and make sure you exclude bin, obj, and packages folders. A team without version control is a team without history or safety.
🔄 Can You Make a Build in One Step?
If building your software involves a checklist of manual steps, you are asking for trouble. A single step should create a production-ready build. Otherwise, small changes can easily lead to inconsistencies or missed files.
📅 Do You Build Daily?
Daily builds do not just help with visibility, they help catch breaking changes early. A small tweak in one method can silently break others. Daily builds keep the system honest and help teams react before the damage spreads.
🐞 Do You Track Bugs?
If you are still trying to remember bugs in your head or on sticky notes, your product is likely suffering. Use a bug tracker. It does not need to be fancy. A simple table with five fields can do the job:
Steps to reproduce
Expected behavior
Actual behavior
Assigned to
Status
🔧 Do You Fix Bugs Before Writing New Code?
Always fix known bugs first. Writing new code on top of unstable foundations only makes things worse. Review what you wrote. Clean it up. Then move on.
🗓️ Do You Have an Up-to-Date Schedule?
A schedule gives visibility. Even if you do not always stick to it, having one lets you and your stakeholders plan, prioritize, and measure progress.
📄 Do You Write Documentation?
Every project should have a
READMEInclude a
How to ContributeguideAdd descriptions for each method or module
These are not optional. They are the first thing your future self or new team members will read.
🤫 Do Developers Have Quiet Working Conditions?
Focus is everything. Studies show it takes about 15 minutes to get into the flow. Each interruption resets that clock. If your office is noisy or your team lacks personal space, productivity will suffer.
⚙️ Do You Provide the Best Tools?
Waiting for your IDE to load, builds to finish, or browsers to open is not productive. The best developers use the best gear. If your work machine is worse than your home setup, your company is failing you.
👀 Do You Have a Dedicated Testing Team?
Relying on developers to test their own code is not smart. A second set of eyes can catch what the creator missed. It is not a lack of trust. It is about raising the quality bar.
💻 Do You Ask Developers to Write Code During Interviews?
Resumes and theoretical questions do not reveal actual skills. Give them a simple task. Ask them to build something. Talk through their process. Real work is the best assessment.
🧪 Do Your Codebases Pass Usability Tests?
Ever heard of the Hallway Usability Test? Pull in a random person and ask them to run or use a small part of your code. If they succeed without confusion, you passed. If not, your code is too complex or poorly structured.
Final Thought:
High-performing software teams are not built on talent alone. They are built on habits, discipline, and clear workflows. This checklist is a mirror. What you see in it tells you whether your team is building quality or just writing code.