2024-11-03 · Leo Okada

Branch names as navigation aids, not jokes

Illustration for Branch names as navigation aids, not jokes

We banned “fix-stuff” branches in our sample repos because they mirror real anti-patterns we see in JP product teams. Instead, we model names that encode scope and owner without becoming bureaucratic novels.

The middle section compares two squads: one that encodes ticket IDs, another that encodes risk level. Neither is universally correct; the writing pushes teams to pick a scheme and automate linting where possible.

We close with a lightweight checklist for renaming branches mid-flight without orphaning reviewers — a frequent question from career switchers entering mid-sized SaaS orgs.

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