Technical Debt: What is Technical Debt - Part 1
Technical debt isn't just a byproduct in the software development journey but a constant companion. This complexity is often invisible to those who aren't directly involved in the coding process, yet its implications can ripple through a project, affecting timelines, budgets, and even the final product's quality.
We believe that this is a concept that is vital for any application owner or operator from non-technical founders, developers, project managers, designers and really anyone that touches the digital product development process.
For this reason we have created a three part series to dive deeper into Technical Debt. This is the first part.
In software development, the term "technical debt" is often thrown around, but what does it really mean?
At its core, technical debt is akin to financial debt. Imagine taking a loan to quickly launch a business. While this gives you immediate capital, it comes with the obligation of repayment with interest. Similarly, technical debt occurs when shortcuts are taken in the coding process to meet deadlines or achieve short-term goals. While this expedites the project, it creates a "debt" that must be "repaid" later in the form of code refactoring or optimization.
The term "debt" implies that there's a cost involved, and in the context of software, this cost is twofold. First, there's the immediate cost of revisiting and refactoring the codebase to improve its quality. Second, there's the long-term cost, which manifests as reduced agility in implementing new features, slower debugging, and an overall decline in software performance. These costs can escalate quickly, impacting not just the development team but also affecting business outcomes.
One of the key elements that contribute to technical debt is time. Software development often operates under tight deadlines, leading teams to opt for quicker, less optimal solutions. These trade-offs might solve immediate problems but can create a tangled web of issues that require more time to untangle later on. It's a cycle that can perpetuate itself if not managed correctly.
As your software grows, the technical debt can become a significant roadblock to scalability. Features that were easy to implement initially can become complex and time-consuming, affecting the software's ability to adapt to new requirements or technologies. This is particularly crucial for startups and SMEs, where the ability to scale quickly can be a make-or-break factor.
Poor or lacking documentation can also contribute to technical debt. When code is not adequately documented, it becomes challenging for new team members to understand the logic and reasoning behind certain decisions. This can lead to errors and inefficiencies, adding another layer to the existing debt.
Lastly, it's essential to consider the human aspect. Accumulated technical debt can lead to project burnout, as team members may find themselves continually putting out fires rather than focusing on new, innovative work. This can lead to a decline in job satisfaction and, ultimately, talent attrition.
As important as all of the above principles are, the key is to understand the goals of the users, their identities and tasks they want to achieve with the app as well as a deep understanding of the application goal, both from a business and contribution perspective.
