tech-debt

Overview

Based on "Working Effectively with Legacy Code" by Michael Feathers. Feathers' definition: legacy code is code without tests. His central technique: find the "seams" - places where you can insert test coverage without changing the code under test. Once a seam has test coverage, you can safely refactor. The discipline: never refactor without a safety net. Never add features to untested code without first covering it.

Workflow

Step 1: Define the debt

Before prioritizing, describe the debt specifically:

Debt item: [name]
Location: [file:line or module]
What it is: [one sentence description]
Why it's a problem: [what it makes harder]
Symptom: [what developers experience because of it]

Vague debt ("the codebase is messy") can't be prioritized. Specific debt can.