4 ms·
Here we go again! Trying to use a financial term to describe "bad" past decisions. I do not see this term used when we build bridges or houses -- we either say
by eftychis 4y ago
Here we go again! Trying to use a financial term to describe "bad" past decisions. I do not see this term used when we build bridges or houses -- we either say they were time or financial constraints or it was a bad job. And certainly intermediate (temporary or not) supporting constructions are not viewed as debt.
Nobody built the pyramids in a day.
Here is a different attempt on definition: An occurrence on debt is when a higher up decides that a product/construction must be ready when it clearly is not, and thus convinces/bullies the engineers and put their signature on it.
Analogies can be a great tool to communicate or for prose but don't take them literally.
- louwrentius 4y agoI agree with you but your definition was never “take shortcuts that reduce quality”. Ward Cunningham was explicit about this. “TD was about taking the time to incorporate new understanding and learnings into the code, if you don’t you accrue TD”. Unfortunately your description is what has become the common usage of TD, and now the term is meaningless. Frankly speaking, today, TD is just a neutral term to externalize blame/responsibility.
- eftychis 4y agoYes, I was trying to give a contemporary definition. But I do find it interesting that it is a notion in our field. I agree with you and your disappointment. Thank you for the comment.
- louwrentius 4y agoYes indeed, thank you too.