8 Strategies to Tackle Technical Debt in Your Company

Is your business’s software system no longer as smooth and efficient as it once was? Perhaps it now feels like a tangled web of shortcuts, patches, and workarounds. Welcome to the world of technical debt—a hidden obstacle that can accumulate over time, hindering your productivity and growth.

What Is Technical Debt?

Think of technical debt as the interest you pay on a loan you never intended to take. It accumulates when businesses opt for quick IT solutions instead of more sustainable, long-term options. While these shortcuts might seem harmless initially, they can compound as your system expands, slowing down progress and creating future challenges.

Managing technical debt is crucial for maintaining a robust and efficient technology environment. Here are eight strategies to help your company tackle technical debt effectively.

1. Identify and Prioritise Technical Debt

The first step in managing technical debt is identifying it. Focus on the most critical issues to ensure you address the problems that bring the most value.

Conduct a Technical Debt Audit

Begin by pinpointing where technical debt exists within your network infrastructure and processes. Document areas where shortcuts or quick fixes have been implemented.

Categorise and Rank

Not all technical debt requires immediate attention. Categorise debt based on its impact on performance, security, and maintainability. Rank the most critical issues to tackle first.

Create a Technical Debt Register

Maintain a register of all identified technical debt. This helps track what has been addressed and what still needs attention, ensuring nothing is overlooked.

2. Integrate Debt Management into Your Workflow

Incorporating debt management into your regular workflow ensures continuous attention to technical debt, balancing new development with debt reduction.

Incorporate into Agile Practices

Integrate technical debt management into your agile processes. Regularly review and address these tasks during sprint retrospectives.

Set Aside Time for Repairs

Allocate specific time for repairs and technical debt reduction. This ensures potential issues aren’t forgotten amidst ongoing projects.

Track Progress

Regularly monitor progress on technical debt reduction. Use metrics to track improvements and identify areas that still need work.

3. Educate and Train Your Team

Educating your team about technical debt is essential for preventing new debt and addressing existing issues. Training and knowledge sharing foster a culture of quality and long-term thinking.

Promote Awareness

Ensure your team understands what technical debt is and its impact on your systems and future IT projects.

Provide Training

Offer training on best practices for adopting new technology. Educate your team on how to avoid creating new technical debt.

Promote regular meetings to discuss technical debt and share solutions, fostering a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

4. Improve Documentation

Good documentation is vital for understanding and addressing technical debt. It serves as a clear reference for current and future team members.

Document Existing Systems

Create comprehensive documentation for your existing systems, including hardware configurations, software setups, and network diagrams.

Update Documentation Regularly

Ensure documentation is kept up-to-date with changes and improvements as they occur.

Use Standardised Templates

Utilise standardised templates for documentation to ensure consistency and completeness, making it easier to maintain and use.

5. Regularly Update and Refactor Systems

Regular updates and system refactoring help keep technical debt under control by making small, manageable changes to improve technology quality.

Plan Regular Updates

Schedule regular updates to enhance system quality, ideally during less busy periods or between major projects.

Focus on High-Impact Areas

Target updates on high-impact areas, identifying systems that are frequently used or critical to performance.

Incremental Improvements

Approach updates as a series of incremental improvements rather than large overhauls, reducing risk and simplifying deployment.

6. Optimise Security Practices

Enhanced security practices ensure that changes do not introduce new issues, maintaining system reliability and performance.

Install Comprehensive Security Measures

Deploy robust security practices, including firewalls, encryption, and regular security audits.

Use Proactive Security Practices

Adopt proactive security measures by updating security protocols and software regularly to catch issues early.

Automate Security Monitoring

Automate as much of the security monitoring process as possible to increase efficiency and reduce the risk of human error.

7. Manage Dependencies

Effective dependency management reduces the risk of introducing technical debt by ensuring compatibility and security.

Track and Update Dependencies

Keep track of all dependencies in your technology environment and update them to the latest versions, which often include security patches and performance improvements.

Use Dependency Management Tools

Utilise tools to handle dependencies, automating updates and ensuring compatibility.

Isolate Critical Dependencies

Isolate critical dependencies to minimise their impact, ensuring that essential components are well-documented and understood.

8. Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement

A culture of continuous improvement helps proactively address technical debt. Encourage learning, celebrate successes, and engage in regular reflection to drive ongoing enhancement.

Encourage Continuous Learning

Provide opportunities for professional development and skill enhancement. A knowledgeable team is better equipped to address and prevent technical debt.

Celebrate Successes

Recognise and reward efforts to improve IT quality and maintainability. Positive reinforcement fosters a culture of quality and continuous improvement.

Work with an IT Provider That Thinks Proactively

Addressing technical debt proactively ensures your systems remain scalable, maintainable, and secure, enabling your business to thrive in a competitive landscape.

At Hilt Digital, our technology team takes a proactive and long-term approach. We prioritise doing things right the first time, reducing the risk of accumulating technical debt. Whether you’re based in Wirral, Liverpool, Chester, North West England, or serving key industries like accountants, estate agents, law firms, schools, and construction businesses, we tailor our services to your specific needs.

Explore our range of services, including managed infrastructure, proactive monitoring and maintenance, SentinelOne endpoint protection, penetration testing, dark web monitoring, and Azure cloud consultancy and management.