In the realm of software development, our focal point revolves around addressing the challenges posed by technical debt, which can be just as detrimental as financial debt.
We were delighted to recently host our first technical debt roundtable in our London HQ offices, led by Senior Consultants, Morgan Fox and Emmanuel Sackey. It was incredible to have the opportunity to gather such an insightful group of Engineering leaders who have experience dealing with technical debt.
Our team opened the evening by welcoming everyone, explaining the purpose of this roundtable and what led them to host it. David Savage, our Technology Evangelist, then opened the discussion by calling on a Chief Technology Officer, with a simple question:
“What is technical debt?”
Although this seems straightforward, it caused much debate among the group of experts within the room. The CTO explained how technical debt has many different definitions today, adding to its overall problem. They then went on to explain their personal experience dealing with technical debt in an organisation, causing one major theme throughout the evening to be highlighted.
One of the biggest causes of technical debt is a lack of communication. It was unanimously agreed that a lack of communication between the development and product teams is often the foundational issue in this circumstance.
Technical debt often becomes the responsibility of the technology team, due to it being considered ‘technical, however, this is not the case. It is often caused by tight deadlines imposed on the technology teams and a lack of technical understanding from the product and management teams.
It was clear that the issue cannot be solved separately; it needs to be solved by one brain that understands things from both a technical and sales or product perspective.
Although it may seem it, technical debt is not always a bad thing. Many of the experts around the table expressed how having technical debt within an organisation can be beneficial. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if companies are smart and know how to correctly pay off the debt; instead of breaking the cycle of technical debt, they can use it to their advantage.
Overall, it was clear the conversation could continue for ages, but the key takeaways were as follows:
- The biggest issue relating to technical debt is communication. Technical debt is emotive, so teams must learn how to express it to others within the organisation.
- Technical debt is an organisational problem. Although the term suggests otherwise, technology only covers half of the actual issue which is technical debt.
- Accruing technical debt should be considered. Technical debt can be a useful tool which should be leveraged; however, it needs to be done so carefully and expertly.
What was clear from the discussion is that many technology leaders experience similar struggles when it comes to managing technical debt. Technical debt has the power to destroy companies, but if it is managed with careful consideration, it could become a useful ally.
We would like to extend our thanks to all who attended the event, and we look forward to hosting future discussions.
If you would like to find out more, please reach out to our team at Harvey Nash: Morgan Fox, Emmanuel Sackey, Ben Munson and Matthew Holmes.
About the authors
Morgan is a Senior Consultant with over 3 years of experience, specialising in Software Development. Morgan, along with the Technology Specialisms team, provides support and expertise for a range of clients in our portfolio across all industries. He covers talent roles ranging from scaling technology start-up companies to enterprise-level software houses.
Emmanuel is a Senior Consultant with over 7 years of experience, specialising in Software Development. With over a decade of experience within Technology, he has a wealth of knowledge and knows exactly how to find talent worth investing in. Discover our latest roles here.
To find out how Harvey Nash can support you with your recruitment needs, please click here.
