Can you stabilize a Rails app while the team is still shipping features?
Yes. That is the preferred approach. I focus on risk reduction and reliability improvements that can be delivered incrementally without blocking product work.
Service
Rails Application Stabilization
For teams dealing with incidents, fragile releases, or a mature Rails codebase that has become harder to change safely.
Common signs a product needs stabilization work
- Production incidents keep repeating
- Feature releases are slow because the codebase feels risky
- Performance has degraded as the product grew
- Engineers avoid touching certain parts of the system
- Technical debt is affecting customer-facing reliability
What a stabilization engagement can include
- Critical path review and risk mapping
- Rails app and database performance improvements
- Refactoring plans tied to business priorities
- Testing strategy improvements for safer releases
- Team guidance on standards, reviews, and ownership
The goal is not to "clean everything up." It is to make the system dependable and easier to evolve while the team continues shipping product work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you start with a rewrite recommendation?
No. I start with diagnosis and prioritization. In most cases, disciplined incremental changes provide better outcomes than a full rewrite.
What problems do you usually address first?
I typically prioritize repeated incidents, release risk, performance bottlenecks, and parts of the codebase that slow the team down the most.