Balancing technical debt tasks and new features in agile projects: Feeling overwhelmed?

Surface all tech debts, put them in backlog while integrating along with new features for effective prioritization,dependency management followed by impact analysis. Get stakeholders' buy-in to support their coverage in chunks through sprinting while logically linking features and debts. Foster open communication, solid DoR/D, agreements, code base, reviews, stand-ups, SoS to highlight impediments & progress regularly which could help to inspect & adapt through continuous feedback loops via Sprint review, retros. Practice engg ways of working to mitigate rootcause of debts creation followed by automation, big-pic clarity. Most imp not compromising on quality to deliver things in a rush or due to command and control mode of work enforcement.

As Projects grow more complex and with technology getting updated / upgraded at a rapid pace, technical debt is bound to be present. One of the good article to read is Martin Fowler's - Technical Debt Quadrant which gives good understanding on this. I have seen projects where technical debts eg:- RHEL upgrade, Java upgrade are hold back due to no $$ business benefits and later on coming to a stage where business changes are impacted by not upgrading and also in few cases the upgrade becomes mandatory due to secuirty patches. In general, good balance and planning is required for handle tech debts.

In Agile projects, balancing new features with addressing technical debt is crucial. Understanding the types of debt and their impact on your project is key. Prioritize refactoring and maintenance to ensure long-term project health.

Prioritize debt tasks alongside new features by assessing impact and urgency. Allocate regular time for debt reduction while continuing feature development to ensure long-term project health and avoid compounded issues.

One of the methods which I have been able to successfully implement is to have 2 sets of releases being worked out in parallel. One being focused on new features and the other being focused on reducing technical debt. Eventually the release focusing on technical debt gets merged into the feature release at a suitable time. The challenge with this method is having some members for addressing the debt but if one is able to measure the quality and represent it, then getting a buy-in for team becomes relatively easy. Another way which I have been able to successfully implement is to prioritize the technical debt related to features more used in the field and have them focused as a % in every sprint. And this is where the Scrum Master gets in.

Chase the high-value tasks, slice big chunks into bite-sized sprints, and match the workload to your team’s bandwidth. Juggle quick wins with long-term fixes—tackle tech debt before it topples everything, but don’t put off those shiny new features. Balance is key, or chaos wins!

Wherever possible, work on tech debt should be mixed in with new features. The idea is to have developers work on the tech debt present in the same location where they're adding new features. For example, suppose you have a card to add new forms to a line of business that has existing tech debt. Add the known tech debt to the card to make it part of the requirements. You should also point the card appropriately to allow for fixing the tech debt.

Balancing new features and maintaining a healthy codebase is crucial in Agile projects. Prioritize wisely using techniques like the prioritization matrix. Remember, a well-maintained codebase is the foundation for long-term success.

Agile practices like refactoring and TDD can help you strike the balance. Prioritize code quality and maintainability alongside feature delivery.

Effective communication and teamwork are key. By understanding the impact of technical debt and collaborating closely, teams can prioritize tasks and maintain a healthy codebase.

Maintaining transparency with stakeholders is key. Keep them informed about the risks and benefits of addressing technical debt to ensure everyone's on board.

It's a balancing act! Prioritize tasks strategically, communicate openly, and embrace iterative improvements. Remember, a healthy codebase is the foundation for long-term success.