Every layer of review makes you 10x slower
apenwarr.ca
March 17, 2026
14 min read
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69/100
Summary
Increased layers of review in a team can significantly slow down workflow, with coordination overhead causing a decrease in speed that is not linear with team size. Effective organizational design is crucial to minimize this overhead and maintain efficiency.
Key Takeaways
- Every layer of approval in a process can make it 10 times slower, primarily due to waiting time rather than effort.
- A simple bug fix can take 30 minutes to code but may require over 500 hours for approval and scheduling across teams.
- AI's impact on speeding up processes is minimal, as it does not significantly reduce the time required for code reviews and approvals.
- The only sustainable way to increase speed in workflows is to reduce the number of reviews required.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- Shifting reviews to earlier stages and focusing on design sessions can significantly reduce the need for extensive code reviews, enhancing team efficiency.
- Startups and smaller organizations can leverage AI more effectively due to fewer bureaucratic layers, allowing for quicker innovation and adaptation.
Concerns
- The expectation that code reviews will catch all bugs and design issues is unrealistic, leading to potential delays and frustrations in the development process.
