That's why you can never solve technical debt

Within the software industry, one often hears the term "technical debt". Like an enigma, it haunts all software teams, no matter how powerful or intelligent those teams are. Technical debt is like tenacious weeds, deeply rooted, and entirely indestructible.

But why is it so?

What Is Technical Debt?

Before we delve further, we need to understand what technical debt is. It refers to temporary solutions adopted by software developers when under time pressure, facing dilemmas and risks. Instead of adopting the long-term optimal solution, a myopic decision is made, which silently accumulates into debt. These debts may bitterly bite back someday, making our work even more challenging.

How Does It Happen?

So how does technical debt emerge?

Typically, a technical team would have a comprehensive process to develop a project, from project requirement sifting, and functional planning, to product design, and system design, among other stages.

However, developments don't always go as planned. Various unforeseen issues appear, such as sudden changes in customer requirements, unexpected early completion demands from the customer, or the need for catch-up because of inadequate initial project evaluation. To ensure project profitability, teams start adopting strategies to reduce project time, thereby generating technical debt.

Although it may seem folly to swap technical rigor for short-term gains at the expense of future software maintenance costs, it proves to be effective invariably. It helps us through troubles, accomplishes tasks, wins customer satisfaction and timely payments, and earns us more time and space for future work.

Is there a way to develop without technical debt?

So, is there a project scheme with zero technical debt? In other words, can we genuinely solve technical debt?

The answer is yes, but not necessarily.

Technical debt is somewhat like a company's financial debt. A corporation borrows to boost productivity and thus quickly develop and gain market share. Technical borrowing similarly helps generate larger project profits via the assumption of reasonable debts. Please take note; the project's benefit here includes not only the immediate profits, but also trust among departments, colleagues, and even commendation from leaders.

Therefore, completely resolving technical debt implies a reduction in the project's gain.

IT Managers: Dare to Indebt

Bravery in carrying technical debt should be an essential skill for IT managers. They must find a balance between project debt and profit. Overly emphasizing software quality while overlooking commercial value, or excessively pursuing short-term gains at the risk of potential risks from development, can't be the traits of a good IT Manager.

However, one must remember that excess of anything is bad. Akin to financial debt, the more the technical debt, the worse it is. Overbearing technical debt can strain software scalability and render it increasingly challenging to maintain, potentially hampering future projects.

After comprehending these intricacies, we should learn to consider technical debt as a tool, rather than fear and avoid it. Much like financial debt, technical debt can work as leverage, leading us to greater success on the path of software development.