Handling a colleague's declining performance as a senior developer

I work at a small company where we build and maintain features for our website. The development team consists of myself, a front-end developer, and another back-end developer. Over the past couple of years, the performance of the back-end developer has noticeably dropped. He often creates features with routes that don’t work correctly, which forces me to reach out to him repeatedly for support. This often takes him hours to respond, causing delays in my work.

I could approach my boss about this issue, but given the size of our team, I fear it might lead to conflict. I want to foster a collaborative environment rather than one where it feels like I’m reporting on a colleague. How can I address this situation without it coming across as me being a ‘tattle tale’? Should I talk to the back-end developer directly about the issues I’ve noticed?

Honestly, I’d just focus on your own job. If it’s not bothering the boss, is it really your issue? Going to the boss might make you look worse, since it could seem like you’re trying to get the other developer fired. If you’re not happy, consider looking for a new job. Poor development processes should be improved too.

@Riley
Or challenge him to a duel! Just kidding. :smile:

@Riley
I’ve been leaning this way as well since my recent promotion. If the boss is fine with the pace, then it might not be an issue after all.

Hollis said:
@Riley
I’ve been leaning this way as well since my recent promotion. If the boss is fine with the pace, then it might not be an issue after all.

Remember that being a senior doesn’t mean managing everyone; it means guiding projects.

Mind your own business—you’re both getting paid. You don’t know what he’s going through outside of work.

Hollis said:
@Riley
I’ve been leaning this way as well since my recent promotion. If the boss is fine with the pace, then it might not be an issue after all.

Have you thought about asking him to manually test his work before considering it complete? A little nudge might help.

Be careful about how you phrase it when you report issues with the API. You don’t want to come across as inept yourself. Perhaps suggest using tools like Postman to ensure the API stays updated, or propose testing for the endpoints.

@Thane
Exactly! If I were the boss hearing about API issues, I’d be concerned that you might be the problem, not the API.

@Thane
Good point! I need to communicate this more clearly so that the API issues aren’t attributed to me.

Hollis said:
@Thane
Good point! I need to communicate this more clearly so that the API issues aren’t attributed to me.

You can also create a public dev channel to document your questions and issues. This way, it’s clear which issues affect you and their response time.

@Thane
I completely agree! Using tools like Postman can streamline the process.

Don’t be that person…

Do you get paid enough to care this much? Why not speak directly with him and see if there’s anything you can do to help. Also, mention the idea of creating tests during meetings.

Morgan said:
Do you get paid enough to care this much? Why not speak directly with him and see if there’s anything you can do to help. Also, mention the idea of creating tests during meetings.

If you do start requiring tests, set up a process to define what tests are necessary before work begins.

@Ashton
If you expect a route to only be accessible for logged-in users and it returns a 403, that is a pass.

Focus on your job. If it’s not an issue for the manager, let it go.

If you’re not his boss and your boss isn’t critical of his performance, just keep doing your job.

Torrin said:
If you’re not his boss and your boss isn’t critical of his performance, just keep doing your job.

My long waits have led to doing more freelance work, so that’s a positive for me.

You should have a serious chat with your colleague first before mentioning it to your boss.