16. As a developer, I want to refactor our existing JavaScript codebase to TypeScript so that we can leverage the benefits of static typing and improved code maintainability

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🧗🏽 Challenge

• The audience for this change includes our development team who are responsible for maintaining and extending our codebase.
• The goal is to transition our existing JavaScript code to TypeScript to improve type safety, enhance code maintainability, and facilitate better collaboration among developers.
• This matters because TypeScript can help catch errors at compile-time rather than runtime, leading to a more robust application and reducing debugging time in the future.
• This initiative aligns with our broader engineering objective of adopting best practices and modern development standards, enhancing our code quality, and ultimately improving our delivery speed.
• We will accomplish this by incrementally refactoring our codebase, starting with the most critical modules, and providing training resources for the team on TypeScript best practices.

⚡️ Solution

• The solution involves refactoring the existing JavaScript files to TypeScript, which includes adding type annotations, interfaces, and other TypeScript-specific features.
• Supporting documentation for TypeScript can be found in the TypeScript Handbook.
• A great TypeScript resource Total TypeScript Essentials.

🎨 Designs

• No new designs are required for this refactor as it focuses primarily on code structure. However, if any UI components are impacted by type adjustments, related designs can be linked.

✅ Acceptance Criteria

• All existing functionality works as expected after the refactor.
• Type definitions are clear and correctly applied throughout the codebase.
• Tests, Documentation, and ChangeLogs are updated to reflect the changes made.
• Peer reviews have been conducted for the refactored code.
• Approval from the PM/Designer if there are any significant changes in functionality or design.

🚫 Out of Scope

• Any major redesign of UI elements is outside the scope of this task.

📝 Notes

• Developers should be aware that TypeScript may require rethinking certain patterns in the code, such as handling nullability and ensuring proper type definitions.
• Additional training sessions on TypeScript may be beneficial for team members unfamiliar with the language.