The Tech Trek

Redefining Tech Debt: Conscious Decisions and Agile Engineering


Listen Later

Guest: Jordan Kaye, Head of Technology at Belvedere Trading

Episode Summary:
In this episode, Jordan Kaye redefines technical debt through a practical lens, emphasizing the importance of conscious decision-making and its impact on engineering velocity, quality, and business outcomes. He explains how technical debt should be approached like financial debt—intentionally incurred with clear trade-offs. Jordan also shares strategies for balancing agility and long-term system stability, offering actionable advice for tech leaders and engineering teams navigating high-impact projects.

Key Takeaways:

  • Redefining Tech Debt: Tech debt isn’t just “bad code” — it’s a conscious decision made to accelerate progress while accepting future challenges.
  • Quantifying Debt: Use tools like issue boards to track, visualize, and manage tech debt over time.
  • Business-Driven Engineering: Tech teams should align with business goals to ensure solutions drive meaningful outcomes.
  • Balancing Quality and Speed: Prioritize flexibility over perfection, focusing on scalable and maintainable systems.
  • Avoiding Premature Problem-Solving: Use "just-in-time scoping" to prevent wasted work and maintain agility.

  • Episode Highlights:

    01:00 - Redefining Tech Debt as a Conscious Decision
    03:45 - How to Quantify and Manage Tech Debt
    07:10 - Business Context and Engineering Trade-Offs
    10:50 - When Legacy Code Is Not a Problem
    13:15 - Organizational Buy-In for System Maintenance
    16:50 - Quality vs. Velocity: Finding the Right Balance
    18:30 - Building Agile and Flexible Engineering Systems
    22:00 - Avoiding Premature Problem-Solving through Just-in-Time Scoping

    Connect with Jordan Kaye:

    • LinkedIn: Jordan Kaye on LinkedIn
    • Personal Website: jordankaye.dev
    • Listen, learn, and redefine how your engineering team approaches tech debt! Share this episode with tech leaders and developers ready to rethink their approach. 🚀


      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The Tech TrekBy Elevano

      • 5
      • 5
      • 5
      • 5
      • 5

      5

      74 ratings


      More shows like The Tech Trek

      View all
      Up First from NPR by NPR

      Up First from NPR

      56,419 Listeners

      HousingWire Daily by HousingWire

      HousingWire Daily

      168 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,471 Listeners

      The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis by Nathaniel Whittemore

      The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

      586 Listeners