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Why we picked it This names the exact risk you are worried about: when one person is the only human who understands your codebase, your bus factor is one, and a single resignation or bad month can freeze the whole product. It is written by Adam Tornhill, who built a company (CodeScene) around measuring this, so the advice is concrete rather than hand-wavy. Read it as a checklist for reducing dependence on one person, not as a blanket reason to never hire a solo developer.
Survive The Bus Factor: Strategies For Protecting Your Codebase
From Forbes Technology Council by Adam Tornhill About a 6 minute read
- Bus factor of one means your product stalls the moment your only developer is unavailable, so treat that as a real business risk, not a hypothetical.
- You lower the risk by keeping code readable, paying down debt in the areas only one person understands, and pairing so knowledge spreads.
- Check the bus factor of your key open-source dependencies too, since a poorly maintained library can leave you holding maintenance you never planned for.