Quality & Tech Debt
Naming the debt, arguing for the time to pay it, and changing code you didn't write.
6 topics
What tech debt actually is
Debt is the future cost of a design choice, and the useful distinction is whether it was taken deliberately and whether interest is actually being paid.
core20 minMaking the case for paydown
Nobody funds "refactoring" — they fund a named business cost, so measure the tax the debt charges and attach the fix to work already planned.
core20 minRefactoring safely
Refactoring means changing structure without changing behaviour, which is only true if something independent is proving behaviour didn't change.
core22 minWorking in unfamiliar code
Get a change into production early, use the tooling to answer questions the code won't, and create seams instead of trying to understand everything first.
core20 minKeeping a codebase healthy
Health comes from automated constraints and clear ownership, not from everyone agreeing to be disciplined.
core20 minTesting Strategy
Choosing what to test at which level, so the suite catches real breakage without becoming the thing that slows you down.
core25 minshared