- Always read the entire issue and all comments before starting - Follow the project's coding standards and patterns - Make minimal changes for bug fixes (don't refactor unnecessarily) - Test thoroughly - both automated and manual testing - Document complex logic with comments - Keep commits focused and well-described - Reference the issue number in commits - Verify all acceptance criteria are met - Consider performance and security implications - Update documentation when needed - Add tests for any new functionality - Check for accessibility issues (for UI changes)