Technical debt is simply defined as software engineering issues that affect future decisions and total cost of ownership.
Technical debt ranges from such things as poor code, which is easily detected and fixed, to structural and architectural choices as well as technological gaps.
As with regular debt, the cost of technical debt compounds over time; but, unlike regular debt, you can choose to live with technical debt. You should consider the value or cost of adding new functionality or fixing defects against the cost of not repaying your debt.
Technical Debt Video
Philippe Kruchten speaks about Technical Debt at a breakfast session hosted by Optimus Information Inc. titled Technical Debt: Don’t Go Bankrupt.
Further Information
The Technical Debt Q and A from after the session is available. You can also download the presentation slides on Prof. Kruchten’s site including the substantial reference list.
The November 2012 issue of IEEE Software Magazine is a special issue on technical debt featuring an introduction by Prof. Kruchten.
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About the Keynote Speaker: Philippe Kruchten
Our keynote speaker for the session is Prof. Philippe Kruchten. Professor Kruchten is a leading authority on technical debt and its impact on software engineering.
He has over 30 years of experience in the industry including 7 years as Director of Process Development at Rational Software before joining IBM. At Rational, he developed the Rational Unified Process, an iterative software development process framework designed to adapt to the unique needs of a team or organization.
He is a professor of software engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. As a founding member of IFIP WG2.10, he conducts research in the software development process and software architecture.
Kruchten received his PhD from the École Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications in Paris. He’s a professional engineer in Canada, an IEEEE CSDP, and a senior member of IEEE Computer Society.
About the Moderator: Pankaj Agarwal
Pankaj Agarwal is the Founder and Managing Partner at Optimus Information Inc., a leading IT consulting organization in BC.
Prior to Optimus, Pankaj was the CEO and cofounder of Momentum Technologies. Momentum was acquired by $2 Billion IT consulting company Sopra Group. Pankaj served Sopra Group as member of the Executive board.
Pankaj is considered a leader in the IT Outsourcing space. Pankaj has been recipient of Business in Vancouver “40 under 40”.
He has served on board of BCTIA. Pankaj currently serves on boards of Science World and The Indus Entrepreneurs. He also serves as Advisory Board Member of VIVA, Vancouver Institute of Visual Analytics.
Upcoming Events
We have a few more similar events planned for the near future on the following topics:
- HTML5 vs. Native Apps for Mobile (Early Jan.)
- Performance Testing
- Testing Infrastructure in the Cloud
- Enterprise Software Implementation – Avoid Surprises
- Software Outsourcing – Do’s and Don’ts
