Use visualizations: Create simple charts or graphs to illustrate the growing cost of delay or the positive ROI of investing in technical debt reduction. visual charts and data are the easiest way to drive home on any point especially when explaining to someone who may not understand

Try telling your non tech colleagues the following: "Remember when Netscape crashed and burned? Yeah, tech debt was the culprit." That might work. If it doesn’t then you need to prepare a presentation.

To convince non-technical stakeholders of the urgency of technical debt, start by quantifying its impact in business terms, such as increased costs, delayed product launches, and lost revenue. Highlight long-term risks like system failures, reduced product quality, and hindered innovation. Use analogies like comparing technical debt to financial debt, where small investments now prevent costly problems later. Provide real-world examples of companies affected by it and emphasize the opportunity cost, showing how it diverts resources from strategic goals. Present metrics to demonstrate inefficiencies and propose a phased plan to address it while aligning with business objectives.

Avoid or define technical jargon. Present technical debt as a hidden cost impacting the company’s bottom line. Explain how it slows new projects, increases maintenance expenses, and poses risks to system stability, which ultimately affects customer satisfaction and revenue. Use real examples and metrics to illustrate how reducing technical debt will enhance productivity and innovation, translating into measurable ROI.

Convincing non-technical stakeholders about technical debt's urgency requires clear, data-driven arguments. In my experience, presenting the maintenance costs of outdated software—often consuming up to 70% of IT budgets—highlights financial strain. Additionally, quantifying security threats and the risk of data breaches can underscore potential losses. Aligning technical debt with business goals reveals how it hampers growth and innovation. Conversely, providing estimates for a partial or full rewrite demonstrates the investment needed versus long-term savings and competitive advantage. Numbers speak louder than jargon—make the case with facts.