We do not write code in isolation. We are embedded in a highly chaotic social world in which we must communicate with other people constantly. Our software itself will, via its interfaces, be part of this communication. Furthermore, if we operate within a team, a workplace, or a community, we are liable to the challenges of effective communication.

The most significant way in which communication has an effect on our code bases is in the setting of requirements and the raising of issues and feedback. Software development is essentially one very elongated feedback process, where every change is precipitated by a communication:

In this chapter, we'll learn how to effectively collaborate and communicate with others, how to plan and set requirements, some common collaboration pitfalls, and their solutions. We'll also learn how to identify and raise larger issues that are preventing us from writing clean JavaScript. Throughout this chapter, we will hopefully begin to appreciate our individually vital roles in the feedback cycle of software development.

In this chapter, we'll see the following topics:

• Planning and setting requirements
• Communication strategies
• Identifying issues and driving change