The debt spiral
When you talk with product managers or business owners, most of them understand the concept of technical debt; however, most managers or business owners I've encountered also tend to overestimate the short-term returns and underestimate the long-term consequences. They believe that technical debt works like personal loans issued by banks, with an interest rate of around 3% Annual Percentage Rate (APR); in reality, it works more like payday loans that charge you 1500% APR.
In fact, the debt metaphor isn't completely accurate. This is because, unlike a formalized loan, when you incur technical debt, you don't actually know the interest rate or repayment period beforehand.
The debt may require one week of refactoring time that ...
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