Hot Take: The “Code Janitor” Anti-Pattern and Its Impact on Team Collaboration

🧹 In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we quickly cover the “Code Janitor” anti-pattern — a hidden trap that can quietly undermine team performance. While teams are often formed to maximize collaboration, learning, and flow, certain team dynamics can introduce dysfunctions. The “Code Janitor” role is one of them.

What exactly is the "Code Janitor" anti-pattern? It happens when one person slips into the role of silently cleaning up after the team — fixing formatting, organizing files, refactoring, tidying the codebase, or generally taking on tasks that would be better shared by the whole team. On the surface, it may look helpful, but in reality, it can limit transparency, reduce shared ownership, and end up being "too little, too late." This episode explores why this happens, how to recognize it, and most importantly, what options teams have for mitigation.

Listeners will hear hot takes on:
- How small, well-intentioned behaviors can spiral into anti-patterns
- Why the janitor role reduces the learning opportunities for the whole team
- Strategies to keep mob cleaning collaborative and balanced
- Tips for fostering healthy communication and shared responsibility
- How leaders and team members can encourage practices that improve flow instead of hiding work
- Is the “Code Janitor” anti-pattern the lesser of two evils and therefore permissible in some situations? 😅🧼🧽

Whether you’re new to mob programming or a seasoned practitioner, this quick episode is a reminder that even small patterns can have big impacts on engineering culture and team productivity. If you’re passionate about agile software development, software craftsmanship, and continuous improvement, this episode will give you a new lens on how teams work together and how to spot warning signs before they hurt you.

Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/rckIiSodfyY