Doing a code freeze at this time of year can be crucial to keeping your sanity this time of year. Often times the business unit likes to push out last minute changes before the year end. This often means pushing last minute code (which as everyone knows isn’t always perfect) which can lead to unpleasant little phone calls from the business or the NOC in the middle of holiday festivities.
Do your self and your family a favor, push for a code freeze until after the new year. The developers will thank you, the business with hate you (but really what else is new). I like about a three week code freeze (emergency bug fixes are except, but they have to actually be bug fixes, and they have to be an emergency) starting about December 15 ending about January 3 (depending on when the weekends fall).
It can be tough to get a code freeze implemented at first. But after the first year with the code freeze everyone will want to go it the next year.
Denny
