It’s easy to think of tech debt as the monster in the codebase. But what does it actually consist of, and how can you manage it? Jennifer McGrath helps you to find out.
Technical debt is anything (code-based, or not) that slows or hinders the development process.
Explaining technical debt isn’t always so straightforward.A common perspective on technical debt is that it stems from engineers’ carelessness, hastiness, or even sloppiness, often in an attempt to achieve results faster.
But while technical debt can result from recklessness (inadvertently or not), it’s can also be leveraged deliberately. Just as you can borrow capital in a responsible or careless manner, you can create technical debt strategically or recklessly.
The article then goes on:
- What does technical debt look like?
- Automation and cognitive load
- Absence of context in daily practices
- Human factors
- How to prioritize addressing technical debt
- Use metrics to quantify the business impact of technical debt
In essence, creating technical debt is inevitable. You cannot avoid encountering it so long as you continue coding and growing. But addressing technical debt doesn’t have to come at a cost of your forward progress. Interesting read!
[Read More]