Tech debt isn't just a cide problem-it's a communication one.

In fast-moving teams, technical debt often builds up quietly. We make prototypes quickly or ship something valuable early. That’s okay, but only if we acknowledge the cost and plan to clean it up.

It can be frustrating when a library or API we depend on is suddenly deprecated. As leads or engineers, we need to stay ahead of that curve to avoid rushed fixes or unplanned timelines.

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐈’𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲:

𝟏. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 Tech debt doesn’t always scream at you. Naming it early makes it easier to track and address later.

𝟐. 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 I keep an eye on updates to libraries, SDKs, and external APIs. It’s easy to fall behind, but being aware of deprecations or significant changes gives us more time to plan upgrades safely.

𝟑. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 When I identify potential issues, whether stemming from legacy code or upcoming dependency changes, I share them promptly with product managers and the broader team. It’s better to have those conversations before they become urgent.

𝟒. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 Alongside roadmap planning, I allocate time for technical discovery. This helps us identify blockers and complexity before committing to deadlines.

Tech debt will always be a part of software development. But with the proper habits and mindset, we can prevent it from becoming chaos and protect our ability to build well over time.