Technical Debt
Technical debt (also known as design debt or code debt) is a concept in software development that reflects the implied cost of rework caused by choosing an easy solution “now” instead of using a better approach that would take longer. Like any other debt, a large accumulation of Technical Debt (bad code) can impact future maintainability of the product.
“The concept of the vicious cycle of technical debt refers to a self-reinforcing pattern where the accumulation of technical debt leads to more challenges, making it increasingly difficult to address and manage. This cycle can hinder a software project’s development and long-term success.”
Below is a schematic representation of the Vicious Cycle of technical debt:
Causes of Technical Debt
Several factors contribute to the accumulation of technical debt:
1. Time Pressure
Tight Deadlines: Developers may face tight project deadlines, and in order to deliver on time, they might opt for quick solutions that may not be the most efficient or maintainable.
2. Lack of Resources
Limited Budget: If there’s a constrained budget, developers may not have the resources needed to implement an optimal solution, leading to shortcuts.
Insufficient Staff: A shortage of skilled developers can result in rushed and suboptimal code.
3. Changing Requirements
Unclear or Changing Specifications: If project requirements are unclear or frequently change, developers may make design decisions that are not robust enough to handle future changes.
4. Inadequate Planning
Poor Architecture: Lack of proper architectural planning may lead to shortcuts in design, resulting in technical debt.
Insufficient Design Review: Inadequate review of software design before implementation can contribute to suboptimal solutions.
5. Legacy Codebase
Existing Technical Debt: Inherited codebases with existing technical debt may encourage new developers to follow the same patterns rather than addressing the underlying issues.
6. Skill Gaps
Lack of Expertise: Developers might not have the necessary expertise in certain technologies or best practices, leading to suboptimal code.
7. Temporary Solutions
Quick Fixes: Temporary solutions implemented to address urgent issues might become permanent if not revisited later, contributing to technical debt.
8. Pressure to Ship Features:
Feature-Focused Development: A focus on delivering new features quickly may lead to neglect of code quality and long-term maintainability.
9. Lack of Testing:
Inadequate Testing: Insufficient testing can result in undetected bugs and issues, which may accumulate over time.
10. Communication Issues:
Poor Communication: Lack of communication among team members can lead to misunderstandings and suboptimal solutions.
11. Dependency Management:
Outdated Dependencies: Failure to regularly update and manage dependencies can lead to security vulnerabilities and technical debt.
The downsides of Technical Debt are as follows:
- It misleads the Product Owners, Scrum Masters and Developers about the “Current state” of the System. For example, if Product Backlog item Ais assumed to be completed in a day, it might take three days for it to complete, because of unseen bad code or Technical Debt.
- The Product becomes more unstable, as more functionality is added over bad code (or existing technical debt). It is far more likely to impact components which crosscut a range of features. Moreover, if the necessary refactoring is significant it could impact the entire product, and it could affect features in uneven ways.
Technical Debt is a result of a bad technical decision taken in order to save time or effort.
Technical debt causes a greater percentage of the product’s budget to be spent on maintenance of the product.
The velocity at which new functionality can be created is reduced when you have technical debt.
Manage and Reduce Technical Debt
Addressing technical debt is crucial for the long-term health and sustainability of a software project. It requires a balance between meeting short-term goals and investing in the long-term maintainability and scalability of the codebase.
A few best practices in random ordering to minimize or overcome technical debt:
- Regular code reviews
- Refactor your code often using an Agile Methodology.
- Checklist of tasks that need to be completed at each stage.
- Hiring developers with experience and skill.
- Follow the best framework and the most reliable software architecture while keeping the end goal in mind.
- Instead of producing subpar code and hoping to repair it afterward, write high-quality code.
- Maintain an open record of all modifications.
- Utilize automated testing as needed.
- Allocate time to attend to debts as and when required instead of delaying them.
