Refactoring Plan Template

Use this template to document and track your refactoring effort.

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Project Information

Field	Value
Project/Module	[Project name]
Target Files	[List of files to refactor]
Date Created	[Date]
Author	[Name]
Status	Draft / In Review / Approved / In Progress / Completed

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Executive Summary

Goals

• [Primary goal: e.g., Improve readability of payment processing]
• [Secondary goal: e.g., Reduce code duplication]
• [Tertiary goal: e.g., Improve testability]

Constraints

• [Constraint 1: e.g., Cannot change public API]
• [Constraint 2: e.g., Must maintain backward compatibility]
• [Constraint 3: e.g., No changes to database schema]

Risk Level

• Low - Minor changes, well-tested code
• Medium - Moderate changes, some risk
• High - Significant changes, careful attention needed

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Pre-Refactoring Checklist

Test Coverage Assessment

Metric	Current	Target	Status
Unit Test Coverage	__%	≥80%
Integration Tests	Yes/No	Yes
All Tests Passing	Yes/No	Yes

Required Before Starting

• All tests passing
• Code reviewed and understood
• Backup/version control in place
• User approval obtained

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Identified Code Smells

Summary

#	Smell	Location	Severity	Priority
1	[e.g., Long Method]	[file:line]	High	P1
2	[e.g., Duplicate Code]	[file:line]	Medium	P2
3	[e.g., Feature Envy]	[file:line]	Low	P3

Detailed Analysis

Smell #1: [Name]

Location: path/to/file.js:45-120

Description: [Detailed description of the problem]

Impact:

• [Impact 1]
• [Impact 2]

Proposed Solution: [Brief overview of how to fix]

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Refactoring Phases

Phase A: Quick Wins (Low Risk)

Objective: Simple improvements with immediate value

Estimated Changes: [X files, Y methods]

User Approval Required: Yes / No

#	Task	File	Refactoring	Status
A1	Rename variable x to userCount	utils.js:15	Rename Variable	[ ]
A2	Remove unused oldHandler()	api.js:89	Remove Dead Code	[ ]
A3	Extract duplicate validation	form.js:23,67	Extract Method	[ ]

Rollback Plan: Revert commits A1-A3

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Phase B: Structural Improvements (Medium Risk)

Objective: Improve code organization and clarity

Estimated Changes: [X files, Y methods]

User Approval Required: Yes

Dependencies: Phase A must be complete

#	Task	File	Refactoring	Status
B1	Extract calculatePrice() from long method	order.js:45	Extract Method	[ ]
B2	Introduce OrderDetails parameter object	order.js:12	Introduce Parameter Object	[ ]
B3	Move formatAddress() to Address class	customer.js:78	Move Method	[ ]

Rollback Plan: Revert to post-Phase-A commit

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Phase C: Architectural Changes (Higher Risk)

Objective: Address deeper structural issues

Estimated Changes: [X files, Y methods]

User Approval Required: Yes

Dependencies: Phases A and B must be complete

#	Task	File	Refactoring	Status
C1	Replace price switch with polymorphism	pricing.js:30	Replace Conditional with Polymorphism	[ ]
C2	Extract NotificationService class	user.js:100	Extract Class	[ ]

Rollback Plan: Revert to post-Phase-B commit

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Detailed Refactoring Steps

Task [ID]: [Task Name]

Smell Addressed: [Smell name]

Refactoring Technique: [Technique name]

Risk Level: Low / Medium / High

Context

Before (Current State):

// Paste current code here

After (Expected State):

// Paste expected code here

Step-by-Step Mechanics

1. Step 1: [Description]

   • Test: Run tests after this step
   • Expected: All tests pass

2. Step 2: [Description]

   • Test: Run tests after this step
   • Expected: All tests pass

3. Step 3: [Description]

   • Test: Run tests after this step
   • Expected: All tests pass

Verification

• All tests passing
• Behavior unchanged
• Code compiles
• No new warnings

Commit Message

refactor: [Describe the refactoring]

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Progress Tracking

Phase Status

Phase	Status	Started	Completed	Tests Passing
A	Not Started / In Progress / Done
B	Not Started / In Progress / Done
C	Not Started / In Progress / Done

Issues Encountered

#	Issue	Resolution	Status
1	[Description]	[How resolved]	Open / Resolved

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Metrics Comparison

Before Refactoring

Metric	File 1	File 2	Total
Lines of Code
Cyclomatic Complexity
Maintainability Index
Number of Methods
Avg Method Length

After Refactoring

Metric	File 1	File 2	Total	Change
Lines of Code
Cyclomatic Complexity
Maintainability Index
Number of Methods
Avg Method Length

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Post-Refactoring Checklist

• All tests passing
• No new warnings or errors
• Code compiles successfully
• Manual verification completed
• Documentation updated (if needed)
• Code reviewed
• Metrics improved
• User sign-off obtained

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Lessons Learned

What Went Well

• [Item 1]
• [Item 2]

What Could Be Improved

• [Item 1]
• [Item 2]

Recommendations for Future

• [Item 1]
• [Item 2]

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Approvals

Role	Name	Date	Signature
Plan Author
Technical Lead
Product Owner

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Appendix

A. Related Documentation

• [Link to relevant docs]

B. Reference Materials

• [Link to code smells catalog]
• [Link to refactoring catalog]

C. Tools Used

• [Testing framework]
• [Linting tools]
• [Complexity analysis tools]

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Last Updated: August 4, 2026 Claude Code Version: 2.1.220 Sources:

• https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skillsCompatible Models: Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Haiku 4.5