You know that the solution is far from being perfect, yet you choose to implement the same. The fact that you choose the imperfect solution happens to be the principal of the technical debt. The situation is somewhat similar to the purchase of a house on a mortgage loan. Now since the solution lacks perfection, you know that you will have additional work to do. Other people including the users will start depending on the solution that has been introduced. With the passage of the time, the end users will get adjusted to the imperfect solution that has been brought up.
The solution involves additional work
Just as you, as a developer will have extra work to do; similarly, the market will develop its workaround, with the intention of getting adjusted. Mind you; the users will start relying on the short-cut solution that has been provided. The situation is similar to interest building up and accumulating on the borrowed sum of money that you have availed of for the purpose of purchasing a home. But in the case of the latter, you can clear out the due, little by little, by making payments in short terms of installment.
The proposition is different
The payment that you make goes a long way towards minimizing both the interest, as well as, the principal. In the case, you fail to clear out the dues, within the stipulated time and date, you can opt for the consolidate debt loans or bill consolidation loans. The question that comes up next is that can you pay off technical debt with a consolidated loan package? The latter involves a different perspective and so even if you avail of a loan; you need skill and knowledge to compensate for the imperfection that you had previously opted for.
Dependency is similar to debt accumulation
In due course of the time, it is obvious, that you will attend to the issues and imperfection. In this way, you will ultimately bring yourself into a situation where the imperfections are no longer there. But that will not serve as a necessary respite from the debt that you have incurred, in terms of the users’ dependencies. Remember, that users were getting used to the so-called imperfections. Now, it is the time to help them break free from the past inhibitions. You have to make sure that the users change over from their previous behavior. In other words, you have to do something to change the standpoint of the users. They should be provided with a new insight so that they can break free from the previous dependency.
Know the challenges
Breaking the process that has come to be established with the so-called imperfection is the most challenging aspect of the technical debt. So, while opting for the short-cut intermittent solution, you should be mentally prepared to deal with the problematic aspects of the debt accumulation. In the times to come, you may think that replacing the system (imperfect solution) is far better than introducing the elements of perfection. But there are companies which have benefitted from the technical debt because they were aware and informed of the realities. Similarly, you should take a realistic approach to the issue, and try reducing debt accumulation by discouraging people from being overly dependent on the solution provided.