Technical Debt

When working in the product space, the need for faster decisions about software features is common, and many want to rush to get the product to market. Most of the time technical debt is caused when choosing the quickest and shortest solution than the effective solution.

Software technical debt is a term used to describe the cost of maintaining and enhancing a software system over time. This cost can come in many forms, including the time and resources required to fix bugs, add new features, or update the system to work with new technologies.

In order to meet deadlines and beat competitors, software teams may take shortcuts or make compromises on technology, design, and architecture, which can lead to a system that is difficult to maintain in the long term. Additionally, as technology and business requirements change over time, software applications may become outdated and require significant updates to remain relevant.

"Tech debt?is like a credit card for your codebase. Easy to get into, hard to get out of" (Juan, Twitter)

There are many causes for technical debt, the most common one is a lack of proper testing and documentation. Without thorough testing, the software applications can contain bugs that can be expensive to fix, and without proper documentation, it can be difficult for new developers to understand and maintain the system.

Some of the most common causes of technical debt:

1. Lack of documentation
2. Poor code quality
3. Lack of testing
4. Outdated technologies
5. Wrong architecture
6. Developer skills shortage

Time - Cost - Quality

Time-cost-quality, you can only have 2 variables most of the time. If you push your development team to create something cheap and fast, you will not get quality. If you want quality and faster delivery, it won't be cheap. The wrong choice of two of these three options can often cause technical debt.

There are times when technical debts are unavoidable. If you have an application that must be developed and tested as fast as possible, it may not make sense to have a complex architecture, automated tests, complete CI/CD pipelines, etc. You will focus on completing and getting it done as faster as possible and that is fine when you know the costs and risks involved in the future.

Design Patterns

Architecture for 4-5 years of growth which gives you enough to see where your design didn't work and gives you time to fix it. Code changes take weeks, design changes take years (Mahdi Yusuf, 2023).

Software design patterns can also play a role in technical debt. Some common design patterns that can lead to technical debt include:

• Tight coupling: When different components of a software system are tightly connected, it can make it difficult to change or update one component without affecting the others. This can lead to a high level of complexity and make it difficult to maintain the system over time.
• Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) violation: When a class or module is responsible for multiple things, it becomes harder to understand, test, and maintain. It also makes it harder to make changes to the system without introducing new bugs or breaking existing functionality.
• God classes and God objects A class or object that does too much, can become hard to understand and test, it also makes it harder to make changes without breaking other functionality.
• Lack of abstraction: When a system lacks abstraction, it can make it difficult to understand the overall architecture and make changes without introducing bugs.

To avoid these types of design patterns, it's important to follow best practices for software design, such as adhering to SOLID principles and practicing good object-oriented design. Additionally, regular code reviews can help identify and address any issues related to design patterns that may be contributing to technical debt.

Manage Technical Debts

To manage technical debt, it is important to have a long-term plan for maintaining and enhancing the software system. This may include regular updates to the system, regular testing and documentation, and regular code reviews to identify and address any issues. Additionally, it is important to have a dedicated team or individual responsible for managing technical debt, as well as regular communication with stakeholders to ensure that the system meets their needs.

Ultimately, the key to managing technical debt is to strike a balance between getting a product to market quickly and maintaining the long-term health of the software system. By regularly assessing and addressing technical debt, organizations can avoid costly maintenance and enhancement in the future, and ensure that their software systems remain relevant and effective over time.

In summary, managing technical debt is not only about fixing bugs and adding features, but also about designing a system that is easy to understand, maintain, and update over time. By following best practices for software design and using robust design patterns, organizations can avoid common causes of technical debt and ensure that their software systems remain relevant and effective over time.