Overrefactoring

Overrefactoring is the practice of refactoring beyond what is warranted by current requirements, often resulting in code that is more complex, harder to read, or less maintainable than before. It occurs when developers pursue a “perfect” or universally reusable design instead of addressing concrete problems, or when changes are driven by style preferences, fashion, or internal metrics rather than tangible benefits.

Common manifestations include excessive abstraction or indirection, creating many new layers, and premature generalization such as extracting broad utility modules or interfaces for hypothetical reuse. Other symptoms are renaming or reordering modules without improving clarity, introducing new dependencies, or making small changes that cascade into large structural rewrites. In some cases, overrefactoring slows progress by increasing cognitive load and review effort without demonstrable gains.

Risks associated with overrefactoring include reduced readability, longer onboarding time for new developers, higher coupling and fragility, more bugs during migrations, and longer release cycles. It can also mask real problems that genuine refactoring would address, such as actual technical debt or missing tests.

Preventing overrefactoring relies on disciplined scope and value. Set clear, minimal objectives for any refactor, ensure there is measurable benefit, and favor small, test-backed changes. Use code reviews to challenge unnecessary abstractions, apply principles like YAGNI and KISS, and rely on automated tests to safeguard behavior. If a proposed change does not clearly improve maintainability, readability, or performance, reconsider or postpone.