How to get familiar with codebase you need to maintain with minimum suffering? How to leave codebase easier to deal with for your colleagues so they don’t have to suffer like you did? If you are experienced developer or a junior just starting your journey, inheriting codebase can be a very challenging task. Especially if the codebase is not quite up to your standards, or it’s just huge and complex beast. I will convey my experience and tips and tricks on inheriting code I acquired during 12 years of software development on new and old projects. The talk will provide guidelines to ease taking over code from somebody else, as well as remind developers of the importance that planning, preparation and documentation have in facilitating code change and project growth.