What is RFCs and how to use them
Today my colleague shared that they started to use RFCs inside of their development team. I was surprised in a way that I thought “why it’s not a common practice?”. I know that it’s not a common practice because I never used it in my previous companies. But I think it’s a good practice and I want to share it with you.
What is RFC?
RFC stands for Request for Comments. It’s a document that describes a new feature or a change to the existing system. It should describe a problem and proposed solution. It’s used to discuss the change with the team and to get feedback from the team.
Why do we need RFC?
I think that RFC is a good practice since it helps to make and document a decision. It’s a way to discuss the change with the team and to get feedback from the team. It’s also a way to document the change and to have a history of the change.
When your team has a collection of RFCs, it’s easier to understand the system and to make decisions. It’s also easier to onboard new team members since they can read RFCs and understand the system.
Anyone can write RFC, it’s not only for senior developers. It’s a way to share your ideas with the team and to get feedback from the team.
How to write RFC?
Possible structure of RFC:
- Title
- Problem
- Solution
- Alternatives
- References
You can also follow React template on how to write RFC.