Describe a Time You Had to Choose Between a Rewrite and Incremental Improvement
Behavioral and LeadershipTechnical JudgmentAsked atSeniorStaffUpdated
“Describe a time you had to decide between rewriting a system and improving it incrementally.”
They're checking whether you size a rewrite honestly. Strong answers name what was actually broken, consider the options in between, and decide with criteria you can state.
Rubric by Level
Junior
- Describes a time you refactored code or rewrote a small piece.
- Explains what was wrong with the old version.
- Shows you checked that the new version behaved the same.
Mid
- Names what specifically was broken and what it cost the team.
- Considered a smaller fix before rewriting.
- Shipped in steps and compared old and new behavior.
Senior
- States the real cost of the existing system, with what was broken.
- Sized the rewrite honestly, in engineer-months and risk.
- Considered options in between, like the strangler pattern, replacing modules, or freezing the old system.
- Chose with evidence and lays out the criteria.
Principal
- The decision set the company's platform direction for years.
- Weighed it against other investments competing for the same people.
- Explains how you kept the business running during the change.
Red Flags
- Default 'rewrite everything' instinct without sizing it.
- Held onto a system that should have been rewritten because change was scary.
Follow-Ups to Expect
- How far off was your estimate?
- What would have made you choose the other path?
A Story Shape That Holds Up
The Pain
What was broken and what it cost.
The Options
Rewrite, incremental, and anything in between, with sizes.
The Call
What you chose and the criteria.
How It Went
The result against the estimate, and what you'd change.