In the world of software development, Technical Debt refers to the hidden costs associated with rework or the long-term challenges that arise when short-term, quick solutions are favoured over well-thought-out, robust approaches. Just like financial debt, technical debt accrues “interest” in the form of increased maintenance, complexity, and reduced agility in future development, potentially slowing down progress or raising costs over time.
However, in some cases it may not seem urgent to a team that the technology a product is running on is becoming outdated. There are several reasons why technical debt should be addressed. For example, to improve performance tech vendors regularly implement changes to their code and your product will be interacting with those other tech services in order to carry out even basic tasks. Without taking the necessary steps to stay in line with industry changes, your product will begin to encounter difficulties operating. Additionally, there may be more affordable infrastructure options available to save your project significant resources that could be allocated elsewhere.
FlexiDev recommend engaging some external tech advise to explore how your team can better accommodate any necessary updates to keep your service fully supported. We focus on providing scalable, high-quality IT solutions, and understand how technical debt is critical to maintaining long-term efficiency and delivering value to our clients. To remedy technical debt, we have a Software Developer as a Service provision which allows you to take on expert developer resources on a temporary basis to counter technical debt. By balancing speed with quality, we ensure our clients’ projects remain adaptable and sustainable, avoiding pitfalls that could impact future growth.
Top 3 Ways to Safeguard Against Technical Debt
1. Adopt Rigorous Code Review and Standards
Why it matters: High-quality code is the foundation of any successful project. Setting strong coding standards and conducting thorough peer reviews helps to catch issues that might lead to technical debt early on.
How we do it at FlexiDev: Our team adheres to industry-leading best practices and uses automated tools to assess code quality, performance, and security, ensuring that every line of code meets our high standards.
2. Prioritise Refactoring and Documentation
Why it matters: As a project grows, the codebase can become difficult to manage if not regularly refactored. Keeping the code clean, efficient, and well-documented prevents confusion and reduces the risk of future debt.
How we do it at FlexiDev: We allocate time for refactoring during sprint planning and encourage our teams to treat documentation as a living part of the project. This ensures that any changes to the codebase are reflected in up-to-date documentation, which is crucial for seamless handovers and ongoing development.
3. Embrace Agile Methodology with Continuous Testing and Continuous Integration delivery processes that ensure every update is reliable and timely.
Why it matters: Agile practices, combined with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), help identify and address technical debt early, ensuring that the software remains robust as it evolves.
How we do it at FlexiDev: We incorporate testing to ensure that every update is thoroughly vetted. By deploying smaller, incremental changes, we minimise the risk of technical debt while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as our client’s needs develop.
Case Study:
One of our clients approached us with a product that required new features to stay competitive in the market. The product, originally developed by another vendor, was built on outdated proprietary technology that severely limited its flexibility and scalability. After a comprehensive analysis, we determined that upgrading the existing system wasn’t feasible due to its rigid architecture and obsolete framework. Instead, we recommended a complete rebuild using a technology stack FlexiDev identified as meeting current and future needs.
Since the rebuild, our client has been able to implement user feedback seamlessly, add new features with minimal disruption, and enhance security measures to meet industry standards. The new system allows for rapid updates and smoother integration with third-party services, making it easier to scale as their business grows. By modernising their technology, we’ve empowered them to respond to changing market demands efficiently, saving them both time and money in the long run.
This case underscores the importance of keeping technology up-to-date, as it gives businesses the flexibility to evolve without being constrained by legacy systems. Investing in the right infrastructure today ensures your product is future-proofed, ready to adapt to new user needs, and secure against emerging threats.
Don’t let technical debt hold your business back. Schedule a free consultation with FlexiDev today to assess your current system and ensure it’s built for long-term success.
