Technical debt is like a silent loan: it seems like a good idea in the short term, but the interest can be devastating. At first, no one feels the impact, but as it grows, every new feature becomes slower to build, every sprint more frustrating, and every refactor a minefield.
If your team works with Scrum, you’ve been there. Maybe you’re there right now. The problem isn’t whether technical debt will show up—it will—but how you handle it before it drags down your team’s productivity and product quality.
In this article, we’ll break down how technical debt accumulates in Scrum, its real impact, and, most importantly, how to manage it effectively without slowing down delivery.
The Two Types of Technical Debt: Deliberate and Inadvertent
There are two main types of technical debt in software development: deliberate and inadvertent. Each has its own characteristics and management strategies.
Deliberate Technical Debt
In this case, the team knows they are taking a shortcut. Maybe it’s to validate an MVP quickly, test a market hypothesis, or meet an urgent demand. This kind of technical debt can be a strategic choice—as long as there’s a realistic plan to pay it off later.
The problem? Later rarely comes. If left unchecked, this debt becomes part of the codebase, making it increasingly expensive and difficult to fix.
Inadvertent Technical Debt
This is the most dangerous type because no one notices it until it’s too late. It results from bad practices, lack of knowledge, poorly planned changes, or simple negligence. It can happen when:
- The team doesn’t follow consistent coding standards.
- Refactoring is constantly postponed.
- Automated tests are ignored to “save time.”
- Documentation and technical knowledge aren’t shared.
Inadvertent technical debt often sneaks into the code unnoticed—until productivity drops and complexity makes any change a nightmare.
Why Scrum Can Facilitate (and Accelerate) Technical Debt
Scrum is an excellent methodology for fast, iterative delivery. But if not managed properly, it can also accelerate technical debt. Here’s why:
🔥 Pressure for Short Deadlines
Short sprints encourage quick decisions. Often, teams prioritize visible deliveries over internal quality, accumulating technical debt without realizing it.
Classic example: A developer finds an architectural issue mid-sprint. Instead of fixing it properly, they implement a workaround to avoid delaying the delivery. That shortcut becomes part of the system, and weeks later, no one remembers how it works—until it needs to be changed.
❌ Poorly Defined Requirements
The Product Backlog should be a well-organized strategic map. In reality, many teams work with vague, poorly documented, or constantly changing requirements. This leads to features misaligned with system architecture, causing rework and technical debt.
🏗️ Lack of Maintenance and Refactoring
Scrum emphasizes incremental deliveries but doesn’t always reinforce the need to keep the codebase healthy. Without dedicated time for refactoring and an engineering culture focused on quality, complexity grows, making future changes expensive and risky.
The Impact of Technical Debt in Scrum
If technical debt is ignored, its effects quickly become apparent. It impacts every aspect of Scrum execution:
- Sprint velocity drops: The team spends more time fixing old problems than building new features.
- Exponential increase in bugs and failures: Unstable code leads to endless bug-fixing cycles.
- Constant rework and backlog chaos: Fixing old issues competes with new feature development.
- Team morale declines: Frustrated developers spend more time “putting out fires” than innovating.
And there’s another critical factor: the cost of change increases over time. The longer technical debt goes unaddressed, the more expensive it becomes to fix. Small issues ignored early on can turn into major obstacles later.
How to Manage Technical Debt Without Slowing Down Delivery
The good news? You can mitigate and even avoid technical debt with some simple, effective practices:
1. Incorporate Refactoring into the Product Backlog
Refactoring can’t be something you do “if there’s time.” Every sprint should include code improvements just like new features. Treat it as an essential requirement, not a “luxury.”
2. Allocate Time to Pay Down Technical Debt
Dedicate a portion of each sprint to resolving old debts. Some teams use periodic “cleanup sprints” focused exclusively on reducing technical debt before it cripples development.
3. Actively Monitor Technical Debt
If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Static code analysis tools and complexity metrics help identify and prioritize problem resolution before things get out of control.
How to Prevent Technical Debt from Accumulating
Want to stop technical debt from becoming a major problem? These practices can save your team:
✅ Clean Code Culture
Teams that follow best practices write sustainable code. Set standards, encourage pair programming, and conduct regular code reviews. This prevents errors from turning into technical debt.
🔍 Frequent Code Reviews
Well-structured code reviews prevent bad code from entering the codebase. They also foster a culture of continuous learning within the team.
🛠️ Automated Testing
Test coverage needs to be taken seriously. The more tests you have, the lower the risk of breaking existing functionality—and the less rework down the line.
📖 Continuous Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Technical debt isn’t just in the code—it’s also in lost technical knowledge. Encourage documentation of architectural decisions and best practices.
Conclusion
Technical debt isn’t the villain. The real problem is a lack of management. It becomes dangerous when ignored, not when controlled. If your team takes a proactive approach—treating refactoring as part of the backlog, monitoring debt, and maintaining a clean code culture—you can sustain delivery speed without sacrificing quality.
Now the question is: Which of these practices does your team already follow? And which one needs improvement?
