Discover how quick IT fixes today can become big problems tomorrow. Use these exclusive 8 strategies to manage technical debt in your business.
Did your company’s software once feel fast and efficient? Now, does it seem like a tangled mess of quick fixes and workarounds? This is technical debt—the buildup of temporary IT solutions that can eventually slow down your systems and hurt productivity.
“Relying on ‘quick IT fixes’ can leave your organization lagging,” says Don Schuerman, Chief Technology Officer at Pegasystems, warning against short-term tech solutions.
How can you keep your systems running smoothly without piling on future problems?
What is Technical Debt?
Technical debt is like paying interest on an unexpected loan. It builds up when companies opt for quick IT fixes instead of more durable, sustainable solutions.
At first, these shortcuts seem harmless. But as systems grow, the impact of those rushed choices starts to pile up, slowing progress and creating more issues.
To keep your technology running smoothly, tackling technical debt is crucial.
Here are eight strategies to help your company manage it effectively.
1. Identify and Prioritize Technical Debt
The first step in handling technical debt is to recognize where it exists and tackle the most pressing issues first, focusing on changes that bring the highest value.
Start with a Technical Debt Audit:
Review your network, infrastructure, and processes to spot areas where quick fixes or temporary solutions were applied.
Categorize and Rank Issues:
Not every piece of technical debt needs immediate action. Sort and prioritize debt based on its impact on performance, security, and ease of maintenance.
Create a Technical Debt Tracker:
Keep a simple list of all identified technical debt to track what’s been addressed and what still needs attention.
2. Integrate Debt Management into Your Workflow
Including technical debt management in your daily workflow ensures it stays a priority. This helps balance new projects and reduce existing debt.
Add to Agile Practices:
Make technical debt part of your agile process by reviewing it in sprint retrospectives and setting aside tasks to address it regularly.
Schedule Time for Fixes:
Dedicate specific time to fix technical debt issues, so they aren’t overlooked.
Track Progress:
Monitor your technical debt reduction with clear metrics. This helps you see improvements and highlights areas that still need work.
3. Educate and Train Your Team on Technical Debt
Teaching your team about technical debt is essential. It helps prevent new debt from forming and addresses existing issues while promoting a focus on quality and long-term solutions.
Raise Awareness:
Make sure your team knows what it is and how it affects the system and future projects.
Do team members understand how technical debt impacts our workflow? Are they aware of how shortcuts can add up over time?
Offer Training:
Provide training on best practices for using new technology to avoid adding more debt.
Are there specific skills our team needs to reduce technical debt? How can we equip them to make decisions that avoid shortcuts?
Encourage Knowledge Sharing:
Foster a culture of learning by holding regular meetings to discuss tech debt and share effective solutions.
Are team members actively sharing insights and strategies? How can we make discussions about debt a routine part of our meetings?
4. Improve Documentation
Having good documentation is key to understanding and managing technical debt. It serves as a clear guide for current and future team members.
Document Existing Systems:
Create thorough documentation for your current systems, including details on hardware setups, software configurations, and network diagrams.
Do we have clear documentation for all our systems? How accessible is this information for team members?
Update Documentation Regularly:
Make sure to keep documentation up-to-date by including changes and improvements as they happen.
Are we updating our documentation frequently enough? How can we ensure that all changes are captured promptly?
Use Standardized Templates:
Implement standardized templates for documentation. This ensures consistency and completeness, making it easier to create, maintain, and use.
Are our documentation formats consistent? Would using templates help streamline our documentation process?
5. Regularly Update and Refactor Systems
Regular updates and refactoring of systems are important to keep technical debt manageable. This means making small, thoughtful changes to enhance technology quality.
Plan Regular Updates:
Schedule regular updates to boost system performance. Choose times that are less hectic or between major projects for these updates.
Focus on High-Impact Areas:
Prioritize updates in areas that matter most. Identify systems that are used often or are critical for overall performance.
Incremental Improvements:
Think of updates as small steps rather than huge overhauls. Making gradual changes is less risky and easier to manage.
6. Strengthen Your Management by Optimizing Security Practices
Optimizing security practices is crucial to ensure that managing technical debt doesn’t create new problems. Strong security measures help keep systems reliable and running smoothly.
Install Comprehensive Security Measures:
Implement thorough security practices, such as firewalls, encryption, and routine security checks.
Use Proactive Security Practices:
Embrace proactive security measures by regularly updating protocols and software. This approach helps catch potential issues early and keeps your systems safe.
Automate Security Monitoring:
Automate as much of the security monitoring as possible. Automation can make processes more efficient and lessen the chances of human mistakes.
7. Reduce Technical Debt by Managing Dependencies Effectively
Managing dependencies is key to minimizing technical debt and avoiding new issues. Keeping track of and regularly updating dependencies helps ensure everything works well together and stays secure.
Track and Update Dependencies:
Make sure to keep an eye on all the dependencies in your tech setup. Regularly update them to their latest versions, as updates usually come with security fixes and performance enhancements.
Use Dependency Management Tools:
Take advantage of dependency management tools to help keep everything organized. These tools can automate updates and check for compatibility issues.
Isolate Critical Dependencies:
Identify and isolate critical dependencies to minimize their impact on your systems. Ensure that these important components are well-documented and understood by your team.
8. Build a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Creating a culture of continuous improvement is essential for tackling technical debt before it becomes a bigger issue. Encourage your team to learn, celebrate their wins, and regularly think about how to make things better.
Encourage Continuous Learning:
Offer training and development opportunities to help your team grow their skills. A knowledgeable team is more capable of identifying and preventing technical debt issues.
Celebrate Successes:
Acknowledge and reward team members for their efforts to improve the quality and maintainability of IT systems. Celebrating achievements reinforces a culture focused on quality and ongoing improvement.
Work with an IT Provider That Proactively Tackles Technical Debt
Dealing with technical debt before it becomes a problem is key to keeping your systems flexible, easy to manage, and secure. This helps your business succeed in a competitive market.
Our tech team focuses on being proactive and thinking long-term. We aim to do things right the first time, avoiding shortcuts that can lead to more technical debt down the line.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help improve your IT systems!