Technical Debt Isn’t the Problem-Unclear Tradeoffs Are
Article summary
Every team talks about technical debt like it’s the villain. But debt wasn’t what slowed us down-it was the invisible tradeoffs we never documented. Some of our oldest code shipped fast and ran clean. What hurt us were the decisions we forgot we made. This post is about how we stopped treating “tech debt” as a junk drawer label, and started treating design shortcuts as intentional, expirable tradeoffs. Where Technical Debt Becomes Dangerous Not all tech debt is harmful. The real issues came from: Code that was written quickly-but without a decision record Assumptions that were no longer true-but never revisited Refactors done in isolation-with no revalidation across systems The debt wasn’t the problem. Untracked context was. How We Changed Our Approach to Debt 1.
Read Full Article on MediumPractical takeaway
The main idea behind Technical Debt Isn’t the Problem-Unclear Tradeoffs Are is to help teams move from broad theory to clear, repeatable decision making. When teams apply this thinking, they reduce ambiguity and focus on improvements that deliver measurable momentum.
Example scenario
Imagine a team facing competing priorities. By applying the ideas in Technical Debt Isn’t the Problem-Unclear Tradeoffs Are, they can map dependencies, identify risks and choose the next move that produces progress without destabilizing their system.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Trying to redesign everything instead of taking small steps.
- Ignoring real constraints like incentives, ownership or legacy systems.
- Creating documents that do not lead to any change in code or decisions.
How to apply this in real work
Start by identifying where Technical Debt Isn’t the Problem-Unclear Tradeoffs Are already shows up in your architecture or delivery flow. Then pick one area where clarity would reduce friction. Apply the idea, measure its effect and share the learning.
Signs you are doing it correctly
- Teams make decisions faster and with fewer disagreements.
- Architectural conversations become clearer and less abstract.
- Changes land safely with fewer surprises or rework cycles.