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World Congress 2022 • Jun 15, 2022

How to Optimize Non-Coding Time

Yishai Beeri

Developers only code two hours a day, yet pull requests sit idle 80% of their lifespan. Stop optimizing code and start routing PRs to eliminate multi-day bottlenecks.

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#1 about 4 min

The reality of developer non-coding time and pull requests

Most developer time is spent on non-coding activities like managing pull requests rather than writing actual code.

#2 about 2 min

Understanding pull request cycle time and typical delays

Waiting for pull request pickups and extensive review cycles significantly delays delivering code to production.

#3 about 3 min

Analyzing the pervasive idle time in pull requests

Research across thousands of developers reveals that pull requests are completely idle for half of their lifespan.

#4 about 2 min

How transition time increases cognitive load and bottlenecks

Communication handoffs and large visual code diffs create hesitation and delay pull request pickups.

#5 about 2 min

The productivity cost of distraction and context switching

Interruptions during lengthy code reviews force developers to reload context, increasing the chance of further delays.

#6 about 3 min

Achieving continuous merge while maintaining necessary code reviews

Teams can streamline collaboration to approach continuous merge without entirely dropping the safety of pull requests.

#7 about 2 min

Optimizing the review process with meaningful communication and context

Automated notifications and estimated review times equip teams to prioritize and complete code reviews effectively.

#8 about 2 min

Applying routing strategies for different types of code changes

Using methods like ship-show-ask allows teams to treat trivial updates differently than critical feature merges.

#9 about 2 min

Maximizing velocity by keeping pull requests small and focused

Scoping pull requests to a single intent and providing time estimations drastically reduces the initial pickup phase.

#10 about 2 min

Implementing fast lanes and synchronous reviews for efficiency

Bypassing async waits for low-risk changes or jumping on quick calls for complex ones removes major process bottlenecks.

#11 about 4 min

Automating pull request context and issue tracking from chat

Smart bots and extensions enable instant approvals and ticket generation without leaving regular communication channels.

#12 about 3 min

Pushing contextual merge insights directly into the developer IDE

Upcoming IDE integrations promise proactive warnings about code conflicts and best times to request a review.

#13 about 2 min

Answering questions on review time estimation and pair programming

Audience questions cover machine learning models for estimating completion times and the viability of pair programming.

Matching moments

1:55 min

Shifting developer workloads and realistic AI productivity gains

Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

2:16 min

Implementing a developer productivity framework and measuring output

Rajeev Rajan Rajeev Rajan · WWC 2024

3:16 min

Overcoming review fatigue and measuring true engineering productivity

Alex Laubscher Alex Laubscher +3 · WWC 2025

2:32 min

Reducing pull request cycle times with artificial intelligence

Andrew Boyagi Andrew Boyagi · WWC 2025

1:57 min

Controlling pull request volume to prevent developer fatigue

Susanne Bach Ladefoged Hou Susanne Bach Ladefoged Hou · WWC Europe 2026

3:40 min

Handling review priorities, collaboration, and commit details

Johannes Haux · WWC 2022

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