By Kevin Sawicke
Most business owners hear the term "Tech Debt" and roll their eyes. They think it's just a developer's excuse to play with new tools or rewrite perfectly good code. But as the owner of Oak Harbor Tech, I look at your codebase the same way I looked at the architecture for CVS Health or Komatsu: through the lens of risk and ROI.
If your team is moving slower than they were six months ago, or if "simple" fixes are taking three weeks to deploy, you aren't suffering from a lack of talent. You're paying off the interest on your tech debt.
What is Tech Debt, Really?
Imagine you're building a house. You're in a rush, so instead of pouring a proper concrete foundation, you set the floorboards on some sturdy-looking wooden blocks. It works. The house stands. You move in.
But then you want to add a second story. Those wooden blocks can't take the weight. Now, to add that new room, you have to lift the entire house, rip out the blocks, and pour the concrete you should have poured on day one.
That "lifting the house" cost? That's Tech Debt.
In software, it happens when we choose "speed now" over "scalability later." It's the quick-fix patch, the undocumented work-around, or the outdated library that hasn't been updated since 2019.
The Signs You're Sitting on a "Subprime" Codebase
You don't need to be a Java or PHP expert to know if your company is in debt. As a leader, look for these three "red flags":
- The "Fragile" System: You're afraid to touch one part of your software because it might break something completely unrelated. (At Amex, we called this "tight coupling," and it's a security nightmare.)
- The Slow-Down: Your developers tell you that a new feature will take a month, even though it seems like it should take a week. They aren't being lazy; they are spending 70% of their time untangling "spaghetti code" just to find where to plug in the new logic.
The "Tribal Knowledge" Trap: Only one person knows how a specific part of the system works because it was never documented. If that person leaves, your "debt" immediately goes into default.
The Architect's Strategy: How to Pay It Down
At Oak Harbor Tech, we don't believe in "rewriting for the sake of rewriting." We believe in strategic debt management. Here is how I recommend you handle it:
- The 20% Rule: I advise my clients to allocate 20% of every development cycle to "maintenance and refactoring." This ensures you're paying down the principal of your debt while still building new features.
- The Self-Audit: Periodically, you need a "Tech Physical." This is where an outside architect (like us) looks at your dependencies, security patches, and code structure to identify where the "interest rates" are highest.
- Document or Die: If it isn't documented, it isn't an asset - it's a liability. We prioritize "Self-Documenting Code" and clear architectural maps so your business isn't held hostage by a single developer's memory.
The Bottom Line
I've seen tech debt sink promising startups and cripple enterprise giants. It's a silent killer because it doesn't show up on a balance sheet until it's too late.
But here's the good news: Debt can be restructured. Whether you're running a construction firm or a real estate agency, your software should be an engine, not an anchor. Let's take a look under the hood of your current system. I'll give you a straight-up architect's assessment: what's solid, what's "wooden blocks," and how we can get you back to 100% velocity.
Don't let yesterday's shortcuts kill tomorrow's growth. It's time to settle the tab.