Refactoring

Value: Simplicity -- refactoring removes accidental complexity without changing behavior. Each refactoring step keeps tests green, making the codebase easier to understand and extend.

Purpose

Teaches safe, disciplined refactoring as a distinct activity from feature development. Prevents the common failure mode of mixing behavior changes with structural changes in the same commit, which makes both harder to review, debug, and revert.

Practices

The Cardinal Rule: Green Before, Green After

Never start a refactoring without all tests passing. Never finish a refactoring with any test failing. If a test breaks during refactoring,