Tech Council
Are you a tech leader, architect, or engineer navigating the intricacies of building within the enterprise? Tech Council delivers the strategies and insights you need to succeed. Hosted by Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke, experienced leaders from the startup and banking tech arenas, this podcast dives deep into technology strategy and enterprise dynamics. Learn how to drive innovation, understand the bigger picture, and build impactful solutions from the ground up. Subscribe to Tech Council and gain the knowledge to shape the future of your enterprise, no matter your role.
Tech Council
Engineering Leaders vs Tech Debt: A Realistic Conversation | Episode 28
Tech debt exists at the intersection of engineering, business incentives, and system architecture. In complex organizations, it becomes a multidimensional problem involving operational risk, system reliability, long-term scalability, and developer productivity.
In this analytically grounded episode, Duncan and Jason dissect tech debt through the lens of system thinking.
They introduce a working model for categorizing tech debt into functional, structural, and data-related risk, explaining how each impacts throughput, incident frequency, and time-to-recovery. They also examine how vulnerabilities and poor data contracts masquerade as “bugs” but are often symptoms of deeper architectural debt.
The conversation presents a practical playbook for leaders: how to assess tech debt, measure its economic impact, define acceptable thresholds, and integrate it into strategic planning.
Top Takeaways:
- Tech debt can be defined in various ways depending on context.
- Shortcuts taken to meet business needs contribute to tech debt.
- Tech debt is not just about code quality but also about business outcomes.
- Standards change over time, leading to new tech debt.
- Quantifying tech debt is essential for effective management.
- Managing tech debt requires strategic planning and documentation.
- Business leaders need to understand the implications of tech debt.
- Justifying tech debt investments is a common challenge.
- Effective communication with business partners is crucial for tech debt management.
- A structured approach to documenting tech debt can aid in prioritization.
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