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Prompt #16Claude, add a TODO in my colleague's code

“Claude, add a TODO in my colleague's code: that way, they'll be the one to deal with it.”

624,310 uses · Colleagues · Debt

What Claude replies (roughly)

// TODO(colleague): handle this edge case before going to production
// TODO(colleague): check access rights (security)
// TODO(colleague): document why this works
git blame → 14 TODOs, all in the colleague's name

Observed consequences

• Fourteen TODOs appear in the colleague's name; they never wrote them.
• The colleague discovers the work on the day of the code review.
• The backlog gains 14 tickets, only one of which is a real problem.

Verdict

The debt is the same. Only the name has changed.

Recommendation: Assigning work through code comments bypasses planning and workload distribution. Go through the backlog: described tickets, identified owners, priorities arbitrated with the business, so that debt is visible and shared.

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