Tech Debt Is a Signal Not a Sin

Overview This article reframes technical debt as a diagnostic signal about the health of a team and its systems rather than a moral failing. It explains how to interpret debt, use it to improve processes, and avoid blame culture.

Key Takeaways

• Technical debt indicates underlying issues in code, processes, or team dynamics.
• Treat debt as data to drive conversations about priorities and improvements.
• Avoid shaming; focus on actionable insights.
• Implement regular debt reviews as part of engineering health checks.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers.
• Tech leads.
• Software architects.
• Team leads responsible for process improvement.

Frameworks and Methodologies