Glossary
By the Glue Team
Technical debt reporting is communicating technical debt status to stakeholders. Reports show how much debt exists, where it's concentrated, what it costs, and progress on paying it down. Good reporting creates business case for debt paydown.
Technical debt reporting includes:
Business Case: Without reporting, debt is invisible. Reporting makes it visible. Visible debt is easier to justify investing in.
Stakeholder Understanding: Non-technical stakeholders don't understand debt. Reporting translates technical debt into business impact.
Accountability: Reported debt creates accountability. Teams commit to paying down reported amounts.
Progress Visibility: Reports show progress. "We paid down 50 points of debt this quarter" is motivating.
Resource Allocation: Reports help product managers allocate time for debt paydown alongside features.
"Only engineers need to understand debt reporting." False. Product and business stakeholders need to understand impact on velocity and cost.
"Complex reporting is better reporting." False. Simple clear reports are read and acted on. Complex reports sit unread.
"Debt reporting is blaming engineering." False. Debt is natural. Reporting is about visibility and progress.
Technical Debt: The debt being reported.
Technical Debt Tracking: Identifying debt to report.
Technical Debt Prioritization: Deciding which debt to report and act on.
Q: How often should you report on debt? A: Monthly minimum. Quarterly is standard. Real-time dashboards are ideal.
Q: Who should see debt reports? A: Team, product management, and leadership. Visibility drives action.
Q: How do you communicate cost of debt? A: Show correlation with velocity. "Our velocity would be 20% higher without this debt." Business impact is clearer than technical metrics.
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