Balancing Projects Constraints with Technical Debt

When making decisions based on project constraints, it is essential to consider both the potential benefits and risks.

One should always choose to avoid creating chaos through laziness or unprofessionalism. Critical tasks should be labeled with a “best before” date and treated as separate entities. However, prioritizing easy wins over complex tasks should only be done in certain situations.

Activity metrics can measure team collaboration but cannot accurately reflect progress.

While technical debt is often seen as a negative aspect for teams, it can be beneficial if approached deliberately. Most teams operate in uncertainty, so it is vital to always aim for faster code without sacrificing correctness. By avoiding intentional mess and monitoring technical debt, teams can use it as a tool for quick feedback rather than a future payment.

Although activity metrics can help measure team performance, they must accurately reflect progress, leading to misaligned priorities.

When market opportunities shift, businesses may face tough decisions. Scope creep and unnecessary work can be hidden within a backlog, leading to the “story card hell” problem where the backlog becomes too linear.

Technical debt is a strategy, but it should not be used as an excuse to create chaos.

[¹]: Sustainable Software Architecture: Analyze and Reduce Technical Debt