Understanding Tech Debt

Have you ever done something as a quick fix, even though you knew that it would be more difficult to fix it later on? This happens more often than you might think…it even has a name. Technical debt or tech debt can cause multiple problems later on in projects and other daily work because the issues tend to compound on top of one another.

In The DevOps Handbook, the authors define technical debt as, “decisions we make that lead to problems that get increasingly more difficult to fix over time, continually reducing our available options in the future.” This is one of the best definitions I have seen.

What can we do to reduce tech debt? Here are a few tips:

• Don’t rush towards a solution-the quickest solution may not be the best solution long-term
• Better communication of business goals and objectives between departments
• Identify sources of technical debt, and work on ways to reduce or better yet, remediate it
• Understand that there may always be some tech debt…but take advantage of opportunities to reduce it whenever you can

Can you think of any other ways to reduce tech debt?