Codebase Consolidation & Analysis

Systematically analyze codebases to identify consolidation opportunities, document architecture, and generate actionable insights.

Quick Reference

Analysis Dimensions - 8 analysis dimensions with detailed criteria
Consolidation Patterns - Common refactoring patterns with examples
Report Templates - Output format templates

When to Use

Starting on a new codebase - Understand structure quickly
Planning refactoring - Identify consolidation opportunities
Code review preparation - Comprehensive analysis before changes
Documentation needs - Generate architecture docs
Technical debt assessment - Quantify and prioritize improvements
Onboarding new developers - Create codebase overview
Pre-release audits - Quality and security review

Don't use for: Single file analysis, quick bug fixes, simple feature additions

Core Purpose

Comprehensive codebase analysis:

Code Duplication - Find duplicate code for consolidation
Architectural Analysis - Document system structure and patterns
Refactoring Opportunities - Identify improvement areas
Technical Debt Assessment - Quantify and prioritize debt
Documentation Generation - Create architecture diagrams and docs
Multi-Perspective Analysis - Review from architect, developer, product views
Quality Metrics - Complexity, coverage, maintainability

Analysis Dimensions

| Dimension | Focus | |-----------|-------| | Code Duplication | Find duplicate/similar code blocks | | Architectural Structure | System architecture and component relationships | | Code Organization | Module structure and separation of concerns | | Refactoring Opportunities | Large files, complex functions | | Technical Debt | TODOs, missing tests, outdated deps | | Quality Metrics | LOC, complexity, coverage | | Design Patterns | Patterns and anti-patterns in use | | Cross-Cutting Concerns | Error handling, logging, security |

See analysis-dimensions.md for detailed criteria.

Analysis Workflow

Discovery - Project structure, file counts, configuration
Dependency Analysis - cargo tree, outdated, audit
Duplication Detection - Large files, tech debt markers
Complexity Analysis - LOC statistics, long functions
Architecture Mapping - Components, dependencies, data flow
Quality Assessment - Coverage, linting, formatting
Documentation Review - Doc generation, API documentation
Synthesis - Comprehensive report with recommendations

Output Formats

Executive Summary - Health score, key metrics, priorities
Architecture Documentation - System diagram, patterns, data flows
Refactoring Roadmap - Phased plan with tasks and estimates
Technical Debt Report - Quantified debt, payoff strategy
Onboarding Document - Developer guide to codebase

See report-templates.md for complete templates.

Best Practices

✓ Start with high-level structure, use automated tools, prioritize findings, provide concrete examples with file paths, estimate effort, consider multiple perspectives

✗ Don't analyze without clear goals, only report problems, provide generic advice, ignore context, recommend big rewrites, overwhelm with detail

See consolidation-patterns.md for refactoring patterns and examples.