When speed or quick fixes are prioritized over well-designed code, falling into technical debt becomes inevitable.
A major challenge for enterprises wanting to achieve complete digital transformation and move away from legacy systems and processes is that these legacy systems are closely tied to technical debt and involve complex interdependencies.
Prioritizing quick fixes instead of full-scale solutions to get things done quickly may sound like a good short-term solution. Still, it can lead to suboptimal coding decisions that you will have to address again in the future – whether you like it or not.
As technical debt accumulates, it can inhibit an organization’s ability to transform and provide value to its customers.
Understanding technical debt: the problem of the hour
Technical debt means using shortcuts during software development to achieve short-term results, which leads to inefficiencies in the long run. To meet software delivery timelines, developers prioritize speed over perfect development, which traps them in technical debt. They must pay back this debt with future reworks.
A recent IDG survey found that technical debt, second to skills shortages, is a big problem for IT executives. Technical debt can increase the cost of fixing issues and improving product performance. It slows productivity and makes implementing new product features or improvements harder. Companies spend plenty of time and resources fixing issues caused by shortcuts during development.
The hidden costs of technical debt
Technical debt is the additional work caused by deciding to go with the quickest solution instead of the most effective one. There are other costs involved with technical debt, including:
Decreased innovation
When technical debt escalates, developers must continue dealing with the issues instead of building new solutions for the business. Slower development times mean a business can’t adapt quickly to opportunities or changes in the marketplace. In the IDG survey, 43 percent of executives said technical debt limited their innovation ability.
Increased costs:
Technical debt significantly increases the cost of maintaining and updating applications. And the longer it goes unaddressed, the more expensive it is to fix.
Hinders business growth: A company takes longer to bring products to the market because developers devote significant time and resources to addressing technical debt.
Security risks:
Tech debt can increase the risk of security vulnerabilities in business systems. Workarounds and shortcuts can introduce vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
Poorly designed applications:
As the business grows and applications become more complex, maintaining and updating them becomes difficult. Developers find it challenging to change legacy systems as they can’t incorporate new technologies or ideas. As a result, technical debt accumulates.
The role of low-code/no-code platforms in mitigating technical debt
When developers are under pressure due to increased IT backlogs and accelerated timelines, they produce half-baked solutions.
Low-code and no-code (LCNC) app development platforms are key to alleviating technical debt. These platforms can encourage business users to become citizen developers and allow IT to ship apps in weeks instead of months, decreasing IT backlog significantly without compromising on project timelines or quality.
LCNC tools use pre-built templates and visual drag-and-drop editors, which handle most of the underlying code, reducing the need for shortcuts that can eventually lead to technical debt.
Quality is crucial in the iterative approach of agile development. Low-code/no-code app development helps enterprises maintain consistent quality in every incremental release, keeping technical debt under control.
Curing technical debt
To manage technical debt, you need to manage delivery expectations in a better way. Implement looser plans, incorporate low-code/no-code platforms, and set realistic delivery timelines.
IT leaders must also collaborate continuously for routine technical debt assessment and create a strategy to control the debt.
