How to manage technical debt?
If you don’t handle technical debt well, it won’t just make software development more expensive. It can also make you lose customers and be at risk of cyberattacks.
Okay, but what is Technical Debt?
For those who don’t know what technical debt is, in short, it’s the consequence of temporary decisions made to speed up software development in order to meet deadlines, These decisions often prioritize immediate completion over long-term quality or efficiency.
Why should I care about Technical Debt?
Don’t be ignorant! Unattended technical debt is injurious to wealth and health as well. (Here, wealth refers to business, and health to countless extra hours of work.)
Factors which contributes to technical debt
- ASAP : If someone expects you to complete months of work in 20 days, it will undoubtedly impact the quality of work, resulting directly in technical debt.
- Poor project planning/estimate : Here, there is no pressure related to project completion dates but tech team is at fault for providing inaccurate estimates, leading to a rush towards the project’s completion.
- Inexperienced tech team : When building software with an inexperienced development team, compromises in efficiency and quality may occur. Sometimes, the rush to adopt the latest technologies leads to working with them without a thorough understanding, causing potential issues and contributing to technical debt.
How to Manage Technical Debt?
Now that you’ve understood what caused it, let’s focus on treatment. Below are a few remedies (Not responsible for any side-effects :P).
Project Estimates:
Break down tasks into smaller chunks and then estimate. Keep some buffer for unexpected surprises or to deal with roadblocks.
Go Agile:
No last-moment surprises, please. Adapt the agile method, keep stakeholders informed whenever you feel the need to extend deadlines or if there are any changes to be made in the roadmap. Seek continuous feedback to meet clients’ expectations. It shouldn’t be a case where the client asked for a burger and you delivered a sandwich instead.
Documentation:
Dev Teams, this is for you because you are the ones who know what’s going on under the hood. If you are aware of the potential impact or issues that might arise later, create that Jira ticket with proper tags. Clearly describe the issue in a way other devs can understand and work on it. (I know you guys are busy centering the div elements :P, but make time for documentation)
Visibility:
Project/Product managers won’t be able to understand the impact of temporary decisions taken to speed up software delivery. It’s the responsibility of devs or system architects to inform them about it.
Prioritize:
Sooner or later, technical debts are going to cause problems; better prioritize them now. Sort them based on categories and severity, like frontend/backend/architectural, high/low/medium, or whatever conventions you want to follow.
Accountability:
Accountability is strongly tied to mindset. Some individuals might think, ‘I won’t be here when this issue arises, so why bother caring about it?’ However, effective management of technical debt involves a collective responsibility and a forward-thinking approach to ensure the long-term health and stability of the project or system. So be proactive and take action.
Track the Progress:
Now that all issues are being documented, but that’s not it; track the progress at regular intervals.
That was all about Technical debt. Got something to add or a story to share? Drop a comment below, will you? Let’s keep the conversation rollin’!
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