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This brings up a great point, that tech debt is literally that; debt. Debt is neither good or bad, it's all down to how you use it. Properly utilized, debt make
by ramesh31 3y ago
This brings up a great point, that tech debt is literally that; debt. Debt is neither good or bad, it's all down to how you use it. Properly utilized, debt makes things possible that wouldn't be otherwise. And it can be maintained indefinitely, so long as your payments and interest are reasonable.
- margorczynski 3y agoGreat point. Like in real life if the cost of taking that debt is less than what you gain from it then usually it is the right choice to take it. Like going into a small amount of tech debt to ship a critical feature where some people will refactor and rewrite the whole thing not delivering value over long periods which stifles growth. Like it or not but debt is the basis of growth. Of course the issue is like with real debt also - how do you estimate the costs/gains from taking it and you're under risk of going bankrupt if not managed properly.
- xpe 3y agoI agree with "Debt is neither good or bad, it's all down to how you use it.", but this not the central point of the article. The article's differential contribution relative to other bog-standard tech debt articles is thinking about it as derivative. In the financial world, the behavior of derivatives is more complex and less predictable. Here is an excerpt showing the tech-debt-as-derivative metaphor in action: > ... someone called you out of that debt. If we really want to stress the financial terms this is your margin call. Your users demand action to deal with your debt. Remember: tech debt is not "literally" debt. It is a metaphor; a useful metaphor when used mindfully.