How Four Teams Stopped Postponing the Refactoring They Knew They Needed | The JetBrains AI Blog

Engineering teams often defer necessary codebase refactoring due to the high risk of introducing bugs and the immediate, tangible disruptions it can cause, despite its long-term benefits. However, four distinct teams found success by leveraging JetBrains' integrated development environments (IDEs), which allowed them to visualize the impact of refactoring across their entire codebase and reverse changes if needed. Wiz managed a massive monorepo with GoLand, which streamlined refactoring and kept their system adaptable. IT Manufactory used IntelliJ IDEA and WebStorm to reduce manual verification efforts during cross-stack changes in their Java and React components. NutriAdmin efficiently migrated from AngularJS to modern frameworks alongside ongoing development with WebStorm's static analysis tools. SEOBUK PRESENT utilized IntelliJ IDEA and Rider to manage refactoring in their hardware-software integrated platform, fostering a culture of small, frequent changes. These teams demonstrate that with the right tools, the long-term benefits of refactoring can be achieved without significant short-term disruption, reshaping the conventional risk-benefit analysis of codebase maintenance.