In software development, there’s a silent debt that accrues interest over time, often hidden beneath layers of code and decisions made in haste or ignorance. This debt is aptly termed technical debt. Much like the german proverb, “Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist den Taler nicht wert”, (or the english equivalent, “A penny saved is a penny earned”) technical debt reminds us that small oversights or compromises in the present can snowball into significant challenges down the road. This article critically examines the parallels between financial principles and technical debt, emphasizing the importance of addressing both direct and indirect debt while understanding its distinction from external risks such as hacking or abuse.

Whatever our role, be it developer, IT professional or architect, we try to avoid technical debt. If this is not possible from the outset, or if we decide to accept this technical debt for a limited period of time, we usually lack the tools to do so. This is where this article may help.