There may be times when you need to release a code early to keep up with the time deadline and the fast pace of the competitive market. In this situation, you may have to forego some processes to make and early release which may in due course of time lead to technical debt for the specific code. This is a common feature of software development and processing companies. Tech debt reaches unmanageable proportions when it is allowed to accumulate as its functionality is affected due to the imperfections in the design and also in its implementation.
Accumulation Affects A Code
When you let your tech debt accumulate it becomes harder for your development team to address and refactor it in quick time. There may be a lot of reasons for ignoring defective codes like laziness, lack of proper knowledge or constant pressure from the owners to release it at the earliest. But whatever may be the reason; it should never be allowed to accumulate and pile up to choke your company on the whole. This results in unnecessary loss of time, work days and currency as well. Therefore, whenever you find a tech debt, you must determine the utility of it and then solve the problem at the earliest.
Determine The Necessity
It is important for you to know the necessity and usefulness of a defective code before you take on to address or rewrite it. Rest assured that it is not necessary to repay all tech debts at a time and there may also be some tech debts which are worth retaining. Such retainable codes are that are about to expire and there is no use spending time and effort on those codes. Find out debts which are young and also high regarding interest. There are several automated tools to find such codes, and you can click here to know more about such tools.
Prioritize Your Debts
Just like any other debt in your personal life, it is also necessary to prioritize your tech debt according to the rate of interest. Use the effective tools like TDD, peer reviews, automated testing mechanics, continuous integration systems to do so as this would help you immensely to take cognizance and also prevent your whole system from choking and collapsing. Retain those debts which are manageable and would not affect much on your interest payment, currency and work days and consider those which pose considerable danger to your company.
Change Your Attitude
It is your attitude towards tech debt which would help you to decide which to address first and which to retain. You have to be diligent towards it, vigilant while developing it and avoid using any shortcuts during the process. Test and retest each code using proper tools for testing so that defects do not continue to exist and you come to know of it the moment it creeps in. Compare the velocity of your team to track debt and take active measures to regain the desired velocity and manage your tech debt effectively and save your company from early death.
