nandanosql Purpose
Systematically track, classify, and prioritize technical debt — creating visibility into hidden costs and enabling rational decisions about when to pay it down vs. accept it strategically.
Key Concepts
Tech Debt Classification
| Type | Example | Urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Reckless & Deliberate | "Ship it, we'll fix later" (and never do) | 🔴 High |
| Prudent & Deliberate | "We know this won't scale, but it's fine for 100 users" | 🟡 Medium (with trigger) |
| Reckless & Inadvertent | "We didn't know about this pattern" | 🔴 High (when discovered) |
| Prudent & Inadvertent | "Now we know a better way" | 🟢 Low (unless blocking) |
Application
Tech Debt Register Template
# Technical Debt Register: [Product/Service]
**Last Updated:** [Date]
**Debt Budget:** [% of sprint capacity allocated — recommended 15-20%]
## Active Debt Items
| ID | Description | Type | Impact | Effort | Priority | Status |
|----|-----------|------|--------|--------|----------|--------|
| TD-001 | [What is it] | [Reck/Prud + Del/Inad] | [H/M/L] | [S/M/L] | [P0-P3] | [Open/In Progress/Paid] |
| TD-002 | [What is it] | [Type] | [H/M/L] | [S/M/L] | [P0-P3] | [Status] |
## Detailed Items (P0/P1 only)
### TD-001: [Title]
- **Description:** [What the debt is and where it lives]
- **Root cause:** [How did this happen?]
- **Impact if ignored:** [What breaks, degrades, or costs money]
- **Trigger for action:** [When this becomes urgent — e.g., >1000 users]
- **Estimated fix:** [Engineering effort to resolve]
- **Owner:** [Engineer or team responsible]
## Metrics
| Metric | Current | Target |
|--------|---------|--------|
| Total debt items | [#] | <[#] |
| P0 items | [#] | 0 |
| Sprint debt allocation | [%] | 15-20% |
| Avg age of P0 items | [days] | <14 days |
Prioritization Framework
| Priority | Criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| P0 | Causes production issues, security risk, or blocks features | Fix this sprint |
| P1 | Slows development significantly, degrading team velocity | Fix within 2 sprints |
| P2 | Known suboptimal, but manageable | Scheduled quarterly |
| P3 | Nice to improve, no active pain | Opportunistic (when touching that area) |
Quality Rubric
| Dimension | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Debt is invisible | Known but untracked | Tracked register with owner |
| Classification | All dumped together | By priority | By type + priority + trigger |
| Allocation | 0% sprint capacity | Ad hoc | Consistent 15-20% budget |
| Decision Making | "We'll get to it" | Priority-based | Impact + trigger-based with owner |
References
Related Skills
skills/execution/sprint-planning-facilitator/SKILL.md— Allocate debt in sprint planningskills/execution/retrospective-facilitator/SKILL.md— Surface new debt in retrosskills/planning/risk-assessment/SKILL.md— Debt creates technical risk
External Frameworks
- Martin Fowler, Technical Debt Quadrant
- Michael Feathers, Working Effectively with Legacy Code
Skill type: Component Domain: Execution & Delivery