Understanding the best strategies for effectively reducing technical debt is crucial. After all, technical debt can quickly lead to mismanaged projects. Learn how to keep this “debt” under control by diligently monitoring your business.

While risk-takers are often seen as dream-makers, this isn’t always true when it comes to accrued technical debt. Debt, regardless of how it’s accumulated, needs to be repaid one way or another. Therefore, implementing the best strategies to reduce technical debt is vital for avoiding this issue.

Often, developers take shortcuts to finish work quickly, but this only leads to a buildup of technical debt. While not immediately apparent, the risks associated with sidestepping proper procedures for implementing features or applications can create long-term issues.

These problems can snowball, forcing customers to deal with more fixes than actual functionality. The result? Technical debt becomes the customer’s burden.

However, all of this can be avoided by diligently measuring and monitoring developments within your business. Whether you’re already facing accumulated technical debt or want to prevent it altogether, the information below will prove invaluable. Let’s explore how to take control of this problem once and for all!

Monitoring Technical Debt Effectively

Incurring technical debt is common and almost expected. Sometimes, companies can’t afford to perfect every line of code before development continues. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t be effectively tracked and managed.

Understanding the ratio of such debt offers teams valuable insight into potential issues while developing an application. Several tools are available to measure this ratio and keep application development on track.

These tools will give teams essential data to monitor technical debt and manage development, ensuring that app creation stays on schedule and avoids future problems.

Agile Development and Technical Debt: A Complex Relationship

Quality assurance is paramount for application developers. To prioritize quick delivery, agile development relies on a fast-paced system. While speed is key in agile development, proper implementation of each application’s features is needed for this process to be successful.

While this approach may enhance an application’s performance, it can also lead to unavoidable technical debt. Therefore, using best practices is crucial, but be prepared for some level of technical debt during this phase.

Resolving bugs often requires teams to prioritize certain features over others. Unfortunately, this often leads to more technical debt that must be addressed before development can continue.

Remember, quality and stability are paramount in agile development. Agile developers need to stay aware of accruing technical debt throughout the process.

Common Costs of Technical Debt

Technical debt comes with various costs. Below, we’ve listed the most common types of debt that accrue during application development.

1 – The Price of Low Code Quality

Coding practices and design are critical in minimizing extra costs during development. However, when developers rush to meet deadlines, they often leave behind messy code.

While some level of technical debt is unavoidable, developers who prioritize speed over quality create long-term issues. This makes the project harder for future developers and complicates efforts to reduce technical debt.

The codebase becomes tangled, contributing to technical debt and eventually requiring extensive cleanup due to the initial poor design.

2 – Stalling Application Development Progress

Technical debt often brings with it a backlog of unfinished work, making it difficult to maintain project momentum and putting a strain on the development process.

This includes issues like system testing and code complexity, which could have been avoided with proper attention and resolution. While addressing existing problems is necessary, it can delay developers from progressing with their current work. This leads to accumulating technical debt that could have been minimized with proactive measures.

3 – Defects and Their Contribution to Technical Debt

High code quality is crucial for minimizing defects in application development. This, in turn, leads to enhanced customer user experience and fewer defect-related issues. However, defects are common and often lead to increased maintenance costs, contributing to technical debt.

4 – The Pitfalls of Slacking Productivity

A decline in team performance can significantly impact a business’s productivity. When technical debt arises from mismanagement, it affects the functionality of systems. Developers must work together effectively to combat declining productivity and prevent further functionality problems.

Practical Tips for Reducing Technical Debt

Numerous strategies can help reduce technical debt. We’ve highlighted some of the most effective methods below:

• Embrace automated testing: Essential for minimizing coding issues, automated testing employs various scanning and coding processes. It automatically eliminates problematic code during module updates, significantly reducing technical debt.

• Utilize project management tools: Tools like Hive Trello can be invaluable in reducing technical debt. They help manage schedules, track development progress, and ensure the project stays on track.

• Leverage code analysis tools: Tools like Klocwork and Sonargraph are highly effective in quickly identifying code issues.

• Establish coding standards: Setting clear coding standards ensures developers adhere to best practices. This helps reduce technical debt and requires teams to implement appropriate measures during application development.

• Implement refactoring: Refactoring is essential for maintaining the source code’s internal quality. This process effectively reduces technical debt without affecting the app’s external performance. Learn more about how to reduce technical debt.

Conclusion

Technical debt, to a certain extent, is avoidable. Developer teams that prioritize best practices and avoid shortcuts will reap the benefits in the long run, encountering fewer problems during application development.

If you’re already dealing with accumulated technical debt, don’t worry. It’s not insurmountable. While it might temporarily slow down development, it can be addressed effectively. Once resolved, developers must follow proper protocols to stay on track with future enhancements. Consider exploring options like YourShoring from Turnkey to build a strong remote tech team.