How to Review Technical Debt: A Step-by-Step Guide

Technical debt is a common challenge that organizations face as they scale their software systems. While taking shortcuts in development can accelerate delivery in the short term, accumulated technical debt can lead to performance issues, security vulnerabilities, and increased maintenance costs. Regularly reviewing technical debt ensures your system remains scalable, efficient, and secure. In this blog, we’ll walk you through a structured approach to reviewing technical debt effectively.

1. Define and Categorize Technical Debt

Before conducting a review, it’s essential to understand what technical debt looks like within your system. Technical debt can be categorized into several types:

- Code Debt – Poorly written or outdated code that affects performance and maintainability. - Design Debt – Architectural issues that limit scalability and adaptability. - Testing Debt – Incomplete or missing test coverage that increases the risk of defects. - Documentation Debt – Lack of proper documentation, making it harder for new developers to onboard. - Infrastructure Debt – Legacy hardware or outdated third-party dependencies that impact system efficiency.

Categorizing technical debt helps teams prioritize which issues need immediate attention.

2. Conduct a Code and Architecture Review

Once technical debt is identified, the next step is evaluating your codebase and system architecture:

- Static Code Analysis – Use tools like SonarQube, CodeClimate, or ESLint to detect code smells, vulnerabilities, and inefficiencies. - Code Complexity Analysis – Identify areas with overly complex or redundant code that increase maintenance difficulty. - Architecture Assessment – Review system design to ensure it aligns with business scalability and performance requirements.

A thorough code and architecture review helps pinpoint high-risk areas contributing to technical debt.

3. Evaluate Dependencies and Security Risks

Many systems rely on third-party libraries, frameworks, and APIs that can introduce hidden technical debt:

- Update Dependencies – Check for outdated dependencies and upgrade them to avoid compatibility issues. - Security Audits – Use tools like Snyk or OWASP Dependency-Check to identify vulnerabilities in external packages. - Version Control Hygiene – Ensure proper branching strategies and code review processes are in place.

By keeping dependencies updated and addressing security risks, teams can mitigate long-term issues caused by outdated components.

4. Measure Impact and Prioritize Debt Repayment

Not all technical debt needs immediate resolution. Prioritization is key to effective debt management:

- Impact vs. Effort Matrix – Classify technical debt based on its impact on performance vs. the effort required to fix it. - Business-Critical Fixes First – Address issues that directly affect customer experience, system stability, or security. - Define a Debt Repayment Roadmap – Schedule regular sprints or allocate dedicated time in development cycles to address technical debt.

A structured approach ensures that technical debt is addressed without disrupting ongoing feature development.

5. Implement Continuous Monitoring and Prevention Strategies

Technical debt should be reviewed regularly rather than as a one-time exercise:

- Adopt CI/CD Practices – Continuous integration and deployment can help detect and resolve technical debt early. - Code Reviews and Pair Programming – Encourage best practices to prevent new debt from accumulating. - Document Technical Decisions – Maintain clear documentation to prevent knowledge silos and improve long-term maintainability.

A proactive strategy ensures that technical debt remains manageable and does not hinder future development.

Conclusion

Reviewing technical debt is essential for maintaining a scalable and efficient software system. By categorizing technical debt, conducting thorough reviews, updating dependencies, prioritizing fixes, and implementing preventive measures, teams can keep their systems healthy and future-proof. At Apphienz, we specialize in helping businesses optimize their Salesforce ecosystem while keeping technical debt under control. If you need expert guidance, get in touch with us today!