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Problem
For 15 years, a camera company specializing in vision systems was the leader in its market. But recently, it began losing market share due to missed software release deadlines. A flagship product—accounting for over 45% of overall revenue—faced feature releases delayed by 15 months, with schedule estimates consistently off by more than 50%. Competitors, shipping better products faster, were eroding the company’s customer base and revenue.
Inside the engineering team, frustration was mounting. Developers were overwhelmed, spending most of their time fixing bugs instead of creating features. They suspected the root cause lay in a technical debt-ridden codebase that needed significant refactoring.
When the team presented their case to the CFO, they were met with skepticism. They couldn’t answer critical questions:
How long would the refactoring take?
How much would it cost?
What business outcomes would it deliver?
Without clear answers, the CFO declined their request to invest in refactoring.
CodeMRI® Discovery Assessment
Determined to make their case, the development team brought in Silverthread. Using the CodeMRI® Suite, Silverthread provided an in-depth assessment of the codebase, translating the developers’ frustrations into business-relevant metrics for management.
Key Findings:
Design Quality Issues: The codebase suffered from poor design quality, which directly caused inefficiencies, delays, and bugs.
Identification of Cores: Silverthread identified a core with 800 files, representing a massive bottleneck in the codebase. A core is a tightly coupled group of files with cyclical dependencies that violate modular design principles. These structures made it difficult, if not impossible, to introduce new features without triggering widespread issues.
A core is essentially spaghetti code—a tangled web of files that are tightly coupled with one another. These cyclical dependencies break modular design principles, making it nearly impossible for developers to make changes without triggering a cascade of unintended consequences.
Developers immediately recognized this core as the primary source of their frustrations. It was where they spent the majority of their time fixing bugs, often feeling trapped in a cycle of endless rework.
Beyond diagnosing the problem, Silverthread used its Technical Health Improvement Plan and ROI estimation tools to outline a clear path forward:
Refactoring was both technically feasible and capable of delivering a high return on investment.
A prioritized plan was presented to the team, enabling them to tackle the refactoring effort strategically and efficiently.
Solution: Strategically Refactor the Codebase
Armed with actionable insights from CodeMRI®, the development team embarked on a targeted refactoring effort.
Key Achievements:
The team focused on breaking apart the largest core, which initially contained 800 tightly coupled files.
After the first round of refactoring, the core was reduced to 265 files—a 66% improvement. Further improvements were planned and executed over time to bring the codebase even closer to a modular structure.
How It Worked:
The plan outlined the optimal order for refactoring based on technical and business priorities.
Developers prioritized high-impact changes that would quickly improve developer productivity and code maintainability.
The team made measurable progress while minimizing disruption to ongoing development.
Outcomes: Projects on Schedule – Generating Revenue
The results of the refactoring effort were transformative:
Reduced Core Complexity: By shrinking the largest core from 800 files to 265 files, the team significantly improved modularity and reduced development friction.
Projects Back on Schedule: Feature releases for the flagship product were delivered on time for the first time in years.
Revenue Growth: By accelerating delivery, the company secured millions of dollars in revenue and regained market share.
Improved Developer Productivity: With fewer bottlenecks, developers spent more time creating innovative features and less time fixing bugs.
Increased Team Morale: Developers felt empowered to make meaningful changes without fear of introducing system-wide issues.
Conclusion
This case study highlights the importance of technical health as a driver of business success. By identifying and addressing issues like poor design quality and cyclical dependencies, organizations can:
Recover lost productivity by freeing developers to focus on value-added tasks.
Accelerate delivery to meet market demands and outpace competitors.
Quantify ROI to secure buy-in from decision-makers.
With tools like CodeMRI®, companies can:
Diagnose and prioritize technical health issues.
Translate technical findings into metrics that resonate with business leaders.
Deliver actionable plans that align technical improvements with business goals.
If your organization is struggling with delays, inefficiencies, or frustrated developers, it’s time to invest in technical health. With the right tools and expertise, you can turn delays into dollars—and secure your leadership in the market.
Want to learn more? Let’s talk!
About Silverthread
Silverthread is the market leader in software economics, empowering executives to take financial control over complex software assets.
Built on 15 years of applied research at MIT and Harvard Business School, the CodeMRI® platform translates software architectural health metrics into quantifiable business impacts, bridging the gap between technical health and financial performance.
With a track record of success, Silverthread has partnered with over 100 global commercial and government institutions, providing visibility into the health of their software assets and delivering dramatic improvements in operational efficiency and financial outcomes.
For more information, visit www.silverthreadinc.com.
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