Bus number
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2010) |
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Succession planning. (Discuss) Proposed since January 2010. |
In software development, Bus Number is the number of developers on a project who could be removed before understanding of a particular part, or all of the codebase would suffer severely. The term refers to the fact that if these developers were unable to work on, or consult for, a project it would be difficult (or impossible) for new developers to pick up where they left off. In other words, if the developers were hit by the proverbial bus, the project would be in jeopardy.
High bus numbers are good (with the best case being equal to the number of developers on a project). This means all developers understand the codebase more or less equally. A low bus number (especially, one) represents a high risk.
Avoiding
A low bus number situation often arises when only a single developer understands a crucial part of the codebase. One way to remedy this is to use techniques like pair programming and code reviews.
 | This business-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This computing article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about disaster management or a disaster is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |