What is Technical Debt? Technical debt refers to the implied cost of additional work caused by choosing an easy software solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer. It is a software development concept that reflects the extra development work that arises when code that is easy to implement in the…
Defining the Core Problem Balancing incoming feature requests against fixed delivery timelines poses a common challenge in software development. With business stakeholders continuously demanding new capabilities, development teams must carefully evaluate and prioritize the backlog to deliver the most value by the deadline. However, rigid schedules coupled with ever-growing wishlists cultivate friction between stakeholders seeking…
The Core Problem of Mandatory Story Completion Excessive pressure on the software development team to complete user stories within a sprint can lead to major problems. Rigid mandates to finish all committed stories lack flexibility and inevitably cause technical debt, quality issues, and team member burnout. Agile frameworks like Scrum emphasize working software over comprehensive…
What is Technical Debt? Technical debt refers to the implied cost of additional work caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer. Like financial debt, technical debt accrues interest payments in the form of extra effort and cost over time. Here are some examples of what…
The Perils of Legacy Code Legacy code refers to older software systems that have accumulated over time. As requirements change and new features get added, legacy code tends to decay, accumulating technical debt. The lack of automated tests and outdated architectures make these systems brittle, risky, and difficult to maintain. Some of the key perils…
Allocating Resources for Support Work Setting aside dedicated capacity for incoming support requests is crucial for responsiveness. Teams can allocate certain team members to be primarily responsible for support work during each sprint. This ensures there is availability to promptly assist users and address issues. Another approach is creating a separate support team focused solely…
What is Technical Debt and Why Does it Matter? Technical debt refers to the implied cost of additional work caused by choosing an easy software solution now instead of using a better approach that would take longer. It is a metaphorical debt that accrues interest in the form of extra effort needed to maintain and…
Software development projects often involve multiple teams working in concert to deliver complex solutions. This interdependency introduces coordination challenges that impact delivery timelines and software quality. Two predominant approaches for structuring teams on dependent efforts are vertical team structures organized by layers of the technology stack, and horizontal structures that group cross-functional members across components…
Software development teams often struggle to complete all planned tasks within a sprint iteration. Heavy workloads, unclear requirements, and poor collaboration can cause teams to miss deadlines and carry over unfinished work. This article explores practices for improving teamwork and communication to help developers collaborate more effectively and deliver work on time. Defining the Problem:…
What is Velocity and Why Does it Matter? Velocity refers to the amount of work a development team can complete during a sprint, measured in story points per sprint. Tracking velocity over time provides insight into the team’s capacity for taking on new work. A downward velocity trend often indicates emerging problems that hinder productivity,…
