Technical debt is inevitable. After managing debt in production, here are strategies that work.

Identifying Technical Debt

Types of Debt

  • Code debt - Poor code quality
  • Architecture debt - Design issues
  • Test debt - Missing tests
  • Documentation debt - Outdated docs
  • Dependency debt - Outdated libraries

Assessment

// Code quality metrics
- Cyclomatic complexity
- Code duplication
- Test coverage
- Dependency age
- Documentation coverage

Prioritization

Impact vs Effort

High Impact, Low Effort → Do First
High Impact, High Effort → Plan
Low Impact, Low Effort → Quick Wins
Low Impact, High Effort → Avoid

Repayment Strategies

Allocate Time

// 20% time for debt
const sprintCapacity = 100;
const featureWork = 80;
const debtWork = 20;

Debt Sprints

// Dedicated sprints
- Every 4th sprint
- Focus on high-priority debt
- Clear objectives
- Measurable outcomes

Best Practices

  1. Track debt - Maintain backlog
  2. Prioritize - Impact and effort
  3. Allocate time - Regular repayment
  4. Prevent - Code reviews
  5. Document - Clear debt items
  6. Measure - Track reduction
  7. Balance - Features vs debt
  8. Communicate - Team awareness

Conclusion

Technical debt management requires:

  • Identification
  • Prioritization
  • Regular repayment
  • Prevention

Track debt, allocate time, repay regularly. The strategies shown here manage debt effectively.

Managing technical debt from November 2023, covering identification, prioritization, and repayment strategies.