Our reading notes

The Joel Test: 12 Steps to Better Code

Checklist by Joel Spolsky

A short historical checklist about the working conditions and engineering practices behind a team. Useful prompts for interviewing an employer.

What to look for

01
Use questions about builds, source control, and quiet work to ask for concrete examples.
02
Ask what an answer means in the team’s current delivery environment.

Keep in mind

Written in 2000. Its point system and tool assumptions are historical, not a modern maturity score.

Put it to work

Try this next

Replace three dated checklist items with questions about your actual release, testing, and feedback process.

Get the hiring template

Notes and exercises by Awesome CTO. The original work belongs to Joel Spolsky.

Work through the bigger question.

Our hiring guide connects the reading to a practical approach and a template.