If you’ve ever had to review a massive Pull Request, you know it can completely block your team’s flow. Large Pull Requests not only eat up a lot of time but also increase the chances of errors and conflicts. Here’s the good news: small Pull Requests can totally transform the way your team works.
I’ve seen entire teams change how they collaborate by adopting this practice. Let’s talk about the impact smaller PRs can have and how you can start applying them in your daily work.
Why Small Pull Requests Make a Difference
Small PRs are game-changers because they align the review and integration process with your team’s technical and organizational efficiency. With fewer lines of code to review, reviewers can focus on critical changes more precisely, reducing the time needed to approve or suggest improvements. This not only boosts agility but also enables more detailed and targeted feedback.
From a technical perspective, smaller PRs isolate potential issues, making them easier to test and validate. This granularity allows you to spot regressions faster and prevents multiple problems from being introduced at once. Plus, a steady flow of smaller PRs keeps the codebase incrementally updated, reducing the risk of conflicts when merging new changes.
In practice, this approach minimizes wait times between steps and optimizes continuous delivery, resulting in a more stable and predictable development pipeline. When done right, smaller PRs contribute to an efficient technical collaboration culture with fewer bottlenecks.
Benefits of Small PRs
- Faster, More Accurate Reviews
With a smaller scope, reviewers can focus on the details that actually matter. This not only speeds up the review process but also improves the quality of feedback. Problems are spotted earlier and with greater clarity. - Quicker Feedback
Smaller PRs make everyone’s life easier. Reviewers can respond faster, and the person waiting for feedback can move forward with less downtime. This agility is key to maintaining high productivity. - Fewer Conflicts
Each small PR is processed quickly, reducing the chances of conflicts with other code changes. That means less rework and more focus on what really matters: creating value for the product. - Clearer Objectives
Limiting the scope of a PR makes it much easier for everyone to understand what’s being addressed. This improves communication within the team and keeps the project history more organized and traceable. - More Frequent Deploys
With small PRs, you can deploy smaller, more frequent updates. Features and fixes reach users faster, while the risk of something breaking in production decreases.
Also read: How to Improve PR Quality
How to Create Small and Effective Pull Requests
Now that you know why small PRs are so important, let’s talk about how to implement them in your workflow. I get that working in smaller chunks requires a mindset shift and a bit more discipline, but I promise the impact on your team’s flow is worth the effort.
- Plan Before You Code
Before diving into the code, take some time to understand what really needs to be done. Break the work into small, self-contained pieces. Clear planning helps prevent scope creep and makes alignment with the team easier. It also greatly reduces the risk of rework, saving everyone time and energy. - Break Down Bigger Tasks Into Functional Deliveries
If you’re dealing with something complex, break it into smaller parts that are functional from the start. Each step should be something that can be tested, reviewed, and merged into the main codebase. This approach not only simplifies reviews but also enables the team to deliver continuous value. - Trunk-Based Development Makes It Easier
Trunk-based development is a practice I recommend for any team. It reduces reliance on long-lived branches and encourages smaller, more frequent commits. This keeps the main codebase up to date and minimizes the risk of complex conflicts. Adopting this approach is a big step toward creating smaller PRs and keeping the team’s flow smooth. - Use Feature Flags for Larger Changes
When you’re working on something that will take more time, feature flags are a great solution. They let you integrate changes gradually without impacting end users. This gives the team more confidence and allows you to activate features only when they’re ready. - Write Clear, Objective Descriptions
A good description makes all the difference during the review process. Explain what was changed, why it was changed, and how to validate the updates. This saves reviewers time and improves team communication. - Include Tests for What You’ve Done
Whenever possible, add tests for your changes. Unit tests, integration tests, or both — it depends on the context. The important thing is to ensure the delivered code works as expected and doesn’t introduce problems elsewhere in the system. - Establish Team Standards
Clear standards for PR size, commit organization, and description detail levels help align the team. Take time to define and review these practices together. This creates consistency and makes everyone’s work easier.
Also read: Best Practices for PRs
In the End
Creating smaller PRs is all about building a more efficient and sustainable workflow. It’s not something that happens overnight, but over time, these practices become part of your team’s culture and make all the difference.
