# Launched: Code Climate for JavaScript This post is part of our historical archive. It represents the beliefs, actions, products, and services of Code Climate as of its publication date. Today, Code Climate focuses on providing enterprise leaders the software development data, context layer, and playbooks needed to build the AI-native software organization their enterprise needs. Head to codeclimate.com to learn more. \ \ Sasha Rezvina **Oct 24, 2013** • **2 min read** Today we’re thrilled to announce that Code Climate is taking a giant step forward and **launching support for JavaScript**. Writing maintainable, bug-free JavaScript presents all of the challenges (and then some) of writing high quality Ruby, and now you can take advantage of Code Climate’s automated code reviews for your client-side JS and Node.js projects. Code Climate launched out of the Ruby community, with the goal of helping developers ship quality code faster, regardless of the language they are using. With advances to client-side programming (Ember.js, Backbone, etc.) and the fast growth of Node.js on the server-side, now more than ever JavaScript is used to express critical business logic. That code needs to be free from defects, and it needs to be maintainable over the long term. As a first class language in a developer’s modern toolkit, JavaScript should have the tooling to match. [**Create a Code Climate account and add your first JavaScript project today.**](/content/signup/account/index.html) ## What does it do? JavaScript projects on Code Climate benefit from the extensive work we’ve done over the past few years to make a tool that provides the most actionable, timely feedback on code changes including: - Simple A-F letter ratings for every JavaScript file - An overall project GPA to track code improvements over time - Email, chat integration and activity feeds for timely notifications - Integration with issue trackers like GitHub Issues and Pivotal Tracker In addition, because code linting is often important to ensure consistent, predictable execution of JavaScript across browsers, we’ve built in configurable [JSHint](http://www.jshint.com/) checks. Here’s an example from Node.js: _(JSHint is configured by checking in a `.jshintrc` file into your repository. If you already have one, we’ll use it automatically.)_ ## How do I use it? To add private projects to Code Climate, you’ll first need to [create an account](/content/signup/account/index.html). As of today, new repositories added to your Code Climate dashboard will have a dropdown menu to choose which language you would like us to analyze: _Note:_ Right now we are able to support one language per repository, but this is something that we will be improving in the future. As many Rails projects leverage JavaScript extensively, we want you to be able to see the effects of _all_ of the changes to your codebase on each commit, and we are working to make that easier. As always, Code Climate is free for open-source projects on GitHub. [Add your OSS JavaScript projects today.](/content/github/signup/index.html) About Sasha Rezvina ## Why a Strategy Matters At the heart of every successful software engineering team is a drive for three things: 1. A culture of continuous improvement 2. The ability to move from idea to impact quickly, frequently, and with confidence 3. A software organization delivering meaningful value These goals sound simple enough, but in reality, achieving them requires more than just wishing for better performance. It takes data, action, and, most importantly, a cultural shift. And here's the catch: those three things don't come together by accident. In my experience, whenever a large-scale change fails, there's one common denominator: a lack of a cohesive strategy. Every time I’ve witnessed a failed attempt at implementing new technology or making a big shift, the missing piece was always that strategic foundation. Without a clear, aligned strategy, you're not just wasting resources—you’re creating frustration across the entire organization. ## Step 1: Define Your Purpose The first step in any successful engineering insights strategy is defining why you're doing this in the first place. If you're rolling out developer productivity metrics or an insights platform, you need to make sure there’s alignment on the purpose across the board. Too often, organizations dive into this journey without answering the crucial question: Why do we need this data? If you ask five different leaders in your organization, are you going to get five answers, or will they all point to the same objective? If you can’t answer this clearly, you risk chasing a vague, unhelpful path. One way I recommend approaching this is through the **"Five Whys"** technique. Ask why you're doing this, and then keep asking "why" until you get to the core of the problem. For example, if your initial answer is, _“We need engineering metrics,”_ ask why. The next answer might be, _“Because we're missing deliverables.”_ Keep going until you identify the true purpose behind the initiative. Understanding that purpose helps avoid unnecessary distractions and lets you focus on solving the real issue. ## Step 2: Understand Your People Once the purpose is clear, the next step is to think about who will be involved in this journey. You have to consider the following: 1. Who will be using the developer productivity tool/insights platform? 2. Are these hands-on developers or executives looking for high-level insights? 3. Who else in the organization might need access to the data, like finance or operations teams? It’s also crucial to account for organizational changes. Reorgs are common in the enterprise world, and as your organization evolves, so too must your insights platform. If the people responsible for the platform’s maintenance change, who will ensure the data remains relevant to the new structure? Too often, teams stop using insights platforms because the data no longer reflects the current state of the organization. You need to have the right people in place to ensure continuous alignment and relevance. ## Step 3: Define Your Process The next key component is process—a step that many organizations overlook. It's easy to say, "We have the data now," but then what happens? What do you expect people to do with the data once it’s available? And how do you track if those actions are leading to improvement? A common mistake I see is organizations focusing on metrics without a clear action plan. Instead of just looking at a metric like PR cycle times, the goal should be to first identify the problem you're trying to solve. If the problem is poor code quality, then improving the review cycle times might help, but only because it’s part of a larger process of improving quality, not just for the sake of improving the metric. It’s also essential to approach this with an experimentation mindset. For example, start by identifying an area for improvement, make a hypothesis about how to improve it, then test it and use engineering insights data to see if your hypothesis is correct. Starting with a metric and trying to manipulate it is a quick way to lose sight of your larger purpose. ## Step 4: Program and Rollout Strategy The next piece of the puzzle is your program and rollout strategy. It’s easy to roll out an engineering insights platform and expect people to just log in and start using it, but that’s not enough. You need to think about how you'll introduce this new tool to the various stakeholders across different teams and business units. The key here is to design a value loop within a smaller team or department first. Get a team to go through the full cycle of seeing the insights, taking action, and then quantifying the impact of that action. Once you've done this on a smaller scale, you can share success stories and roll it out more broadly across the organization. It’s not about whether people are logging into the platform—it’s about whether they’re driving meaningful change based on the insights. ## Step 5: Choose Your Platform Wisely And finally, we come to the platform itself. It’s the shiny object that many organizations focus on first, but as I’ve said before, it’s the last piece of the puzzle, not the first. Engineering insights platforms like Code Climate are powerful tools, but they can’t solve the problem of a poorly defined strategy. I’ve seen organizations spend months evaluating these platforms, only to realize they didn't even know what they needed. One company in the telecom industry realized that no available platform suited their needs, so they chose to build their own. The key takeaway here is that your platform should align with your strategy—not the other way around. You should understand your purpose, people, and process before you even begin evaluating platforms. ## Looking Ahead To build a successful engineering insights strategy, you need to go beyond just installing a tool. An insights platform can only work if it’s supported by a clear purpose, the right people, a well-defined process, and a program that rolls it out effectively. The combination of these elements will ensure that your insights platform isn’t just a dashboard—it becomes a powerful driver of change and improvement in your organization. Remember, a successful software engineering insights strategy isn’t just about the tool. It’s about building a culture of data-driven decision-making, fostering continuous improvement, and aligning all your teams toward achieving business outcomes. When you get that right, the value of engineering insights becomes clear. **_Want to build a tailored engineering insights strategy for your enterprise organization? Get expert recommendations at our free insights strategy workshop._** [**_Register here._**](/content/cc/engineering-insights-strategy-workshop/index.html) [**_Andrew Gassen_**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewgassen/) _has guided Fortune 500 companies and large government agencies through complex digital transformations. He specializes in embedding data-driven, experiment-led approaches within enterprise environments, helping organizations build a culture of continuous improvement and thrive in a rapidly evolving world._