Seven Books on Managing Technical Debt
Managing technical debt is crucial for maintaining the efficiency, security, and scalability of IT systems. It's important to recognise that technical debt encompasses not only software but also infrastructure, security, and organisational processes. Addressing technical debt holistically ensures that an organisation can innovate effectively while maintaining robust and secure operations. To help you navigate the complexities of technical debt, I've compiled a list of books that offer valuable insights and practical strategies for managing technical debt across various aspects of IT, including infrastructure and security.
1. Technical Debt in Practice: How to Find It and Fix It
- Authors: Neil Ernst, Rick Kazman, John Klein - 2021 - MIT Press
- Key Chapters: Chapters 3, 6, and 9
- Overview: These chapters focus on practical approaches to identifying and fixing technical debt in software projects. This book focuses on the practical implications of technical debt throughout the software lifecycle, providing tools and techniques for identifying and addressing it.
- Available at: Amazon UK
2. Managing Technical Debt: Reducing Friction in Software Development
- Authors: Philippe Kruchten, Robert Nord, Ipek Ozkaya - 2019 - Addison-Wesley Professional
- Key Chapters: Chapters 3, 6, and 9
- Overview: This book provides a thorough look at technical debt, offering actionable insights and best practices for managing it in software development with a focus on real-world examples. These chapters focus on practical approaches to identifying and fixing technical debt in software projects.
- Available at: Amazon UK
3. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, & Security in Technology Organizations
- Authors: Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, John Willis - 2016 - IT Revolution Press
- Overview: This book offers a comprehensive guide to implementing DevOps practices to manage technical debt in both software and infrastructure, focusing on improving agility, reliability, and security.
- Insights and notes: Insights from The DevOps Handbook
- Available at: Amazon UK
4. Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations
- Authors: Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, Gene Kim - 2018 - IT Revolution Press
- Key Chapters: Chapters 5, 7, and 9
- Overview: This book presents scientific research on DevOps and its impact on software delivery performance, offering insights into managing technical debt as part of improving overall IT performance. These chapters highlight the role of technical debt in software performance and delivery.
- Insights and notes: Insights from Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps
- Available at: Amazon UK
5. Refactoring for Software Design Smells: Managing Technical Debt
- Authors: Girish Suryanarayana, Ganesh Samarthyam, Tushar Sharma - 2014 - Morgan Kaufmann
- Key Chapters: Chapters 1, 7, and 10
- Overview: This book emphasizes the role of refactoring in managing technical debt. Key chapters discuss how to identify "design smells" that indicate technical debt and provide strategies for refactoring code to improve design quality and reduce debt.
- Available at: Amazon UK
6. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems
- Author: Sam Newman - 2021 - O'Reilly Media
- Key Chapters: Chapters 2, 8, and 12
- Overview: This book discusses the impact of technical debt in the context of microservices architecture. Key chapters focus on designing systems that minimize technical debt and provide strategies for managing debt in microservice environments.
- Available at: Amazon UK
7. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win
- Authors: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford - 2013 - IT Revolution Press
- Key Chapters: Parts 3 and 4
- Overview: These sections of the book focus on the protagonist’s journey to identify and mitigate technical debt within the IT department, emphasising the impact of technical debt on operations and the importance of addressing it to achieve organizational goals. This novel provides insights into IT operations, infrastructure, and security, emphasising the importance of managing technical debt through DevOps practices.
- Insights and notes: Insights from The Phoenix Project
- Available at: Amazon UK