A performance-improvement plan jumps straight to rewriting code for speed, with nothing before it. Which statement best summarises the step that is missing first?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Look before you change. Otherwise, you're optimizing by instinct instead of by evidence.
Full Explanation
The correct approach is reviewing hotspots, data access patterns, and repeated logic first, so any change targets a confirmed problem rather than a guess. Skipping straight to a rewrite risks spending effort on code that was never the bottleneck; reviewing hotspots, data access and duplication first turns the change into a targeted fix. Rewriting comments is incorrect because comments do not affect runtime behaviour. Scheduling a batch window is incorrect because it is logistics, not diagnostic work. Asking the original COBOL author to approve before profiling is incorrect because authorship does not identify the performance problem. For the exam, put the review of hotspots, data access and repeated logic before any rewrite.