I'm not sure debt is a good metaphor for code complexity.
Debt grows logarithmically, if the complexity of your code base is growing logarithmically you're doing great.
The problem is software complexity grows exponentially.
And that's why you can't manage it like you can manage high interest debt.
You can try to manage it, but I have yet to see that management succeed.
Every single time a company has tried to manage technical debt, the debt simply goes unpaid.
How many people here who've worked on a sizable and mature code base can name temp files and variables that have turned absolutely permanent over the years?
That's why software complexity, in large organizations, should be approached like an infestation. Erase and eradicate on sight, don't try to save some for later.
Debt grows logarithmically, if the complexity of your code base is growing logarithmically you're doing great.
The problem is software complexity grows exponentially.
And that's why you can't manage it like you can manage high interest debt.
You can try to manage it, but I have yet to see that management succeed.
Every single time a company has tried to manage technical debt, the debt simply goes unpaid.
How many people here who've worked on a sizable and mature code base can name temp files and variables that have turned absolutely permanent over the years?
That's why software complexity, in large organizations, should be approached like an infestation. Erase and eradicate on sight, don't try to save some for later.