Solo Devs Don't Survive Legacy: Why 'Commando Units' Beat 'Full Utilization'

#legacycode #teamdynamics #productivity #architecture

So, you’ve inherited a legacy beast. It’s written in a framework that lost support when Obama was president.

There is no documentation. The original architect retired to a farm in Provence.

And management just hired 5 new contractors and assigned each of you a separate component to modernize.

I have seen this movie before. It ends with a blown budget, a cancelled project, and you updating your CV because you spent 6 months accomplishing absolutely nothing.

Here is the brutal truth: In a high-discovery environment (undocumented legacy), solo work is simulation.

The Cognitive Load Trap

When you work alone on a legacy component, you aren't coding. You are doing reverse engineering.

You are trying to hold the entire database schema, the business logic, and the weird side-effects of a stored procedure in your RAM (working memory).

Cognitive Load Theory tells us that once your working memory overflows, your IQ drops.

You stare at the screen. You switch context. You check Slack. You rewrite the same line of code three times.

You are busy, but you aren't producing value.

Enter the "Commando" Unit (The Tiger Team)

Your colleague proposed a “Commando” approach: small teams (2–3 people), one feature at a time.

Management hates it because it looks like paying 3 people to do 1 person’s job.

Management is wrong.

Here is the physics of a Commando Unit applied to legacy:

Distributed RAM: When 3 people look at the same code (Swarming/Mobbing), you pool your working memory. One person navigates the database, one tracks the business logic, one drives the keyboard. You don’t get stuck — you bulldoze through the confusion.
Instant Code Review: In the status quo, you wait days for a review — often shallow because the reviewer doesn’t understand your component. In a Commando Unit, the review happens while you type. The error rate drops to near zero.
The Bus Factor: If you work alone and get sick, your component dies. In a Commando Unit, knowledge spreads instantly. The Bus Factor goes from 1 to 3.

The "Friday-to-Thursday" Cycle (Shape Up Style)

Your colleague suggested a specific rhythm:

Friday: Planning & research (in office). Map out the terrain.
Mon–Wed: Remote execution. Deep work. No corporate fluff meetings.
Thursday: Demo & deploy.

This isn’t “Agile” with sticky notes and empty process ceremonies.

This is Shape Up — betting on a specific scope and delivering it.

It kills the “Zombie Tickets” that sit in In Progress for weeks.