Hixie's Natural Log: Ask for forgiveness, not permission
A colleague of mine asked me to explicitly put an LGTM on their design doc so that they could go ahead and implement it. The design doc was one I had previously reviewed and commented on, and had indicated that it seemed like a good idea, but I hadn't filled in the box saying that "my TL has said LGTM". My answer: no. You don't need my permission. Ask yourself: why do you want explicit permission? Is anyone asking you to get permission? What would happen if you just... did the thing? Some people want LGTMs because that way they feel like if they make a mistake, they'll be covered. But that's flawed thinking in two ways. First of all, mistakes are fine. People make mistakes, we all make mistakes, mistakes are how we learn. If you're not making mistakes, then you're not taking enough risks to be successful. Secondly, even if making a mistake was bad, getting some people to sign off on something doesn't mean they are taking any more responsibility than if they didn't. You'd still be respo
Explore this link on the map →