Technical debt is a term used all the time when talking about projects delivered, scopes estimated, or any time there needs to be a scapegoat. Developers teams use it. Technical Architects use it. Other members of the delivery team use it. Geez, business stakeholders have even taken up to using it. The reality is…there is no such thing.
By definition, a debt is something owed or an obligation. When you slap technical in front of it, what does the meaning become? Someone (a stakeholder, consumer, ??) is owed something technical? The team is obligated to address something technical? What is the job of technology when it comes to solving business needs? The answer is:
- Meet all the requirements
- Built with quality
- Its works
Technical debt is really commentary on the solution and not the technology. It is not synonymous with more technical work on the same feature. Solutions are built on choices; making decisions that take all the constraints of the projects into consideration. Not building something is the most scalable and extensible way doesn’t mean that the team has taken on debt if it meets the criteria above.
Solution debt, however, is real. When the team can’t afford the current solution anymore because the constraints have changed. Examples of this are:
- Team members supporting a manual process within an solution therefore don’t have time to take on other tasks
- Infrastructure changes that cause the solution to be less performant
- Budgets have changed
Proactively mitigating solution debt risk can be an important part of a team’s long-term success. The biggest factors in mitigating solution risk are probably not surprising.
Time
A team’s ability to solve a problem in a way that takes into account where the project and team are heading is believing their isn’t enough time. Time needs to be considered a team’s greatest asset and allowing the team to find solutions and take more of their natural course.
Money
When a solution finds a purchase path, the decision to fund it is a critical one. Having, and being willing to spend, money for a better solution that allows for more scale through things like automation. Spending money in the short-term, can pay major, long-term dividends.
Talent
The team members themselves. Creative thinking and the art of the possible are what build the best solutions. It takes both time and money to find the best talent and build a culture that promotes the best ideas.
Many times, technology is blamed for the inefficiencies of solutions. Solution debt is what teams really need to consider when making decisions on how to solve business problems. Time, money, and talent are the key factors in building solutions that are resilient to ever-changing demands.