Define: "Tech debt" in Business
Multi-headcount capital waste
"The garbage code the previous guy left behind. You will never get time to fix it, so learn to live with it."
The implied cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of a better approach.
What does "Tech debt" actually mean?
"The garbage code written three years ago that is currently holding the entire infrastructure hostage."
"We need to allocate at least 20% of our capacity this quarter to addressing tech debt."
"The product manager promised we would address the tech debt next quarter, a lie that has been repeated every quarter since 2019."
By The Chief Waste Officer
18 years in the corporate trenches quantifying waste so you don't have to.
Related Terminology
Tired of hearing this?
Next time someone says "Tech debt" in a meeting, track exactly how much company money they just wasted. Play Buzzword Bingo, generate a waste invoice, and stop the bleeding.
