Technical Debt

Technical debt is the implied cost of future rework caused by choosing quick solutions over better approaches.

What is Technical Debt?

Technical debt is a metaphor describing the implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy (limited) solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer.

Technical debt types

Deliberate (known shortcuts), Accidental (poor practices), Bit rot (aging systems).

Common misconceptions

"All debt is bad" — Strategic debt can be acceptable
"Debt can be ignored" — Accumulates interest
"Rewrite eliminates debt" — Often creates new debt