The Tech Trek

Redefining Tech Debt: Conscious Decisions and Agile Engineering

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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. 🚀


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