Code reviews: A strong weapon in the fight against technical debt

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Code reviews: A strong weapon in the fight against technical debt

The term "technical debt" is ubiquitous in software development.

Similar to financial debts, they can accumulate over time and considerably slow down and increase the further development of a project.

But there are effective strategies to manage this invisible load and keep the code base healthy. One of the most effective methods is regular code reviews.

In this post, we will examine how code reviews help to proactively find and reduce technical debt.

What are technical debts exactly?

The term of technical debt, coined by Ward Cunningham, describes the implicit costs incurred by reworking on a software.

This is because one has opted for a simple but suboptimal solution instead of choosing a better but more elaborate approach. These "debts".

Must eventually be "refunded", usually by refactoring the code, which costs extra time and resources. One can imagine it like a loan.

One gets an advantage in the short term (faster delivery). However, later has to pay interest in the form of increased maintenance, lower stability and slower development.

Types and causes of technical debt

The term "technical debt" is ubiquitous in software development.

Leaders exploring Code reviews: A strong weapon in the fight against technical debt can use AI & Machine Learning, Cost Calculator: AI Development, Solution: Legacy Reduction sowie Legacy Modernisation as structured entry points.

It is roughly differentiated between desired and unintended technical debt.

Proven debts are deliberately accepted to comply with a tight deadline, for example, or to receive a fast market feedback for a new feature.

However, this decision should be recorded and linked to a clear plan for the later elimination.

Unintentional debts often arise unn through lack of experience, inadequate communication in the team or lack of standards. The main causes are manifold:

• Time pressure: Fast, often dirty solutions are preferred to keep dates.
• Deficient knowledge: Developers may not know the best practices, design patterns or the subtleties of the programming language used.
• Old technology: The technology used is no longer contemporary, is no longer supported and makes maintenance and extension more difficult.
• Selective documentation: Changes are difficult to understand and implement, leading to inconsistent implementations.
• Inadequate tests: Without a solid network of automated tests, refactoring becomes risky, which leads to the needed improvements being postponed.

Regardless of their origin, technical debts lead to a lower development speed, increased susceptibility to errors and decreasing motivation in the team.

It is so crucial to establish strategies for technical debt.

The central role of code reviews

Code reviews are a systematic process, be

References and further reading

The following separate references complement the topics in this article:

• Bitkom – German digital industry association.
• German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI).
• European Commission – Digital strategy.
• MDN Web Docs (Mozilla)
• W3C – World Wide Web Consortium.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is this article about: “Code reviews: A strong weapon in the fight against technical debt”?

This post explores Code reviews. A strong weapon in the fight against technical debt from the perspective of needs, typical pitfalls. And sensible next steps.

In short: The term "technical debt" is ubiquitous in software development. Similar to financial debt, they can accumulate over time and develop a project...

Who benefits most from the content described here?

Useful for project leads and product owners in Software development who must choose between standard software, custom development, and integration.

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Technically and organizationally, alignment with experienced partners pays off — from requirements to operations; start with the [services overview](/en/services/software-development). For multi-system landscapes, [IT consulting and architecture](/en/services/it-consulting) helps align vendors and internal teams.

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A practical next step: book a consultation and clarify which MVP or pilot fits your team and landscape.