Types of Technical Debts
1. Planned Technical Debt
Planned technical debt occurs when the organization intentionally lets the technical debt generate while they are aware of the cost and risks involved in the debt. This takes place when the market demands delivery within a short deadline.
For example, in a software application say Megamart which is one of the e-commerce platforms, all required functionalities/features have been developed close to the release date but only a small part of the application needs to be developed. But this pending part has no effect if the product is released now. So the respective team can release the product now and the development team can plan the pending work to be completed on priority after release. This is called planned technical debt.
2. Unintentional Technical Debt
This type occurs when there is a lack of clear understanding of requirements in the initial stage of development, not following proper procedures but choosing easy solutions, the contribution of naïve developers, and/or miscommunication within an organization. Any of these factors may result in the generation of unintentional technical debt.
For example, in A software application called Megamart which is one of the e-commerce platforms, it is found that in many required functionalities/features, errors are there even if it is close to the release date. This has happened due to a lack of communication and proper development procedures/techniques. So, this leads to unintentional technical debt.
3. Unavoidable Technical Debt
This arises when some significant change or update (like adding new functionality to the software) is in the middle of development. This incident leads to the generation of unavoidable technical debt because the implementation of new requirements will make the existing code – not useful anymore.
For example, in A software application say Megamart which is one of the e-commerce platforms, all required functionalities/features have been developed but now some changes coming which need to be implemented due to market requirements or technological advancement but as it is very close to release date and here also the changes are unavoidable as it needs to be implemented. So, this leads to unavoidable technical debt.
4. Code Debt
It is the result of sacrificing code quality to deliver a project quickly. This can cause problems like redundant code, incorrectly named variables, and inadequate documentation, all of which can affect the project’s long-term maintainability.
5. Design Debt
It is a result of short-term architectural concessions that lead to decisions that are difficult to scale and sustain, tight interaction, and a lack of a modular approach.
6. Testing Debt
When testing procedures are violated, there is a risk of undetected flaws increasing, which compromises software reliability. This results in insufficient test cases and test coverage.
7. Documentation Debt
When there is insufficient or out-of-date documentation, it makes it difficult to understand the system. It consists of inadequate high-level system documentation, out-of-date API documentation, and missing inline comments.
8. Knowledge Debt
It is a single point of failure that results from a lack of knowledge or documentation in particular areas. It highlights the value of documenting, exchanging knowledge, and reducing dependence on any one team member.
Understanding Technical Debt in Software Engineering
In this article, we will get to know about Technical Debt, types of technical debt, and finally this technical debt is good or bad. So, let’s start it.
Table of Content
- What is Technical Debt?
- Types of Technical Debts
- Ways to Avoid Technical Debt
- Technical Debt is good or bad?
- Handling Technical Debt
- Technical Debt Balance
- Conclusion
Technical debt often happens in the software development process. It is nearly impossible to develop any software perfectly which requires no refactoring later on especially when the deadline is small. And refactoring is nothing but the process of rearranging the structure of the source code of the project without changing any functionalities. The purpose of refactoring is to improve the operation of the code and to get a more efficient, scalable, and reusable code.
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