How to Manage (and Tackle) Technical Debt

According to one study, about 25% of the development time is dedicated to dealing with tech debt.

If you want to improve your efficiency and get rid of all that debt, there are ways to avoid it!

While it may not always be impossible to get rid of all of it, you can keep reading and figure out how to minimize some of it!

Define Technical Debt

Before you can start to get rid of technical debt, you’ll need to define what it is. Come up with a clear definition that everyone in your group can agree on.  Once you have that, it’ll be easier to figure out a plan of attack.

Some people classify technical debt as changes in code, and others classify it as just adding new features. This is why it’s good to have a training session or meeting to talk about what it is and brainstorm how to get rid of it.

At the very minimum, it’s a concept in programming that comes from making quick and hasty decisions in the development phase. If the shortcut was wrong, you’ll have to spend time going back to fix it and rework the code, which will cost your company time and money. It’s kind of like paying back interest on a loan you took out.

Once you have defined it, there are companies like Cloud First Labs that can help you avoid it.

Take Your Time

Once you’ve defined it, your team can start working to find ways around it. One simple way is to ensure that your software developers take their time and not rush to push something out.

Many coders avoid doing tasks that take a long time, and then they’ll just do a shortcut for it to save a deadline or get it done quickly. While it might be an easier option, there will likely be problems in the code that can make things worse.

To avoid that, ensure everyone has enough time to get their projects done.

Double Check Code

Once they have done something, make sure they double-check it. Or make a process for where others can check each other’s work.

It’s easy to miss small things, especially in coding. However, every little thing needs to be right in order for it to work.

So make sure you have time to have everyone’s code checked as well.

Track It

Lastly, make sure you have a method of tracking any technical debt that you do have.

In order to control a problem, you need to have metrics and figure out where a lot of it is coming from. Once you can track it, you’ll know what strategy to use to help minimize it.

Learn How to Deal With Your Technical Debt

These are only a few ways to have technical debt management, but there are many more things you can do to help minimize it.

We know that coding and working with software can be tedious and stressful at times, but we’re here to help make it a little bit easier on you.

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