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  • Runaway Technical Debt

    Runaway Technical Debt


    I was recently listening to advice from Financial Guru Dave Ramsey about financial debt and how it can control us. The thought occurred to me that this is very much a factor in software development when we have technical debt. We need to avoid letting our pile of debt get out of control or something we simply accept.

    Technical Debt Seems To Always Grow


    The problem with technical debt is that many of us simply accept it. We toss it into a bucket without considering the cost. This applies to missing or incorrect documentation, slow-running queries, clunky interfaces, and so much more. Yes, we can get away with that for a bit here and there when we have to hit a deadline. However, those little things can add up.

    The worst part about those “little things” is that they are small thieves of time and quality. Moreso, they can be hard to measure. Thus, we allow them to be a part of the experience with that codebase or application. For example, how often do you hear a user complain about a solution but then brush it off like that is just how things are?

    Address The List

    The idea behind technical debt is that we have a task we should do, but we kick it down the road instead. If this was not a task we should be ding it would not be technical debt. That is no different from getting an oil change for your car or cleaning air filters. We have a period of time where we can push those tasks off, but eventually they can grow to an emergency situation that must be immediately addressed.

    Just like we need to keep track of debt in general, technical debt should be reviewed regularly and even avoided where we can.

  • Process Improvement On A Budget

    Process Improvement On A Budget

    While there are plenty of reasons to embrace large-scale process improvement projects to simplify, integrate, and automate your business, there are options for a budget or with less risk. The rise of tools like Zapier, IFTTT, Make, and native workflows in almost every tool put expensive and complex changes in the hands of nearly anyone. However, there is a danger in diving into these tools, so a plan is the best way forward.

    Select one of the above tools and attempt to reduce the pain involved with one of your most common business tasks.


    Examine and understand your processes

    This is critical, no matter whether you are aiming for a small “tweak” or re-writing the guts of your business. There are many leaders who have learned that automating a bad process can generate too much trouble to handle. The best way to start is to break down the steps of the process you want to improve and detail the ins and outs of each step. This task can become challenging with complex processes, so start small and simple.


    Eliminate Steps

    Look for ways to improve a step by potentially eliminating it, getting it done faster, or doing it in tandem with another step. These are your guides to process improvement that can be applied almost everywhere.

    Verify

    Test your hypothesis. Once you have an idea of how to improve the process, try it out on a small scale. It’s also important to do this in a controlled environment. If you have a sandbox or test environment, make use of it. The goal is to be able to confirm your improvement before implementing it for real.

    Launch and observe

    Once you are comfortable your improvement will work, then watch it closely for a while. It is easy to miss outliers and other problem causing inputs during initial testing. Those can cost you any time an improvement would have gained if you do not catch and address them early on.

    Repeat The Process Improvement Steps

    Finally, rinse and repeat. The first time is the hardest. Once you get comfortable with what these tools can do, you can start to feel out where you can leverage them to help your business or where you want to bring in other resources to get the job done. The vital point to know is that you do not have to commit to years of development and untold costs to achieve valuable improvements.

  • A Cost of Technology Sprawl

    A Cost of Technology Sprawl



    There are many reasons to avoid technology sprawl and ensure your systems house is in order. However, there is one area that often gets overlooked. That area is security.

    What is Sprawl?

    Let’s back up and define technology sprawl. It is not a hard and fast definition, but almost a state of an organization. Sprawl occurs when you have too many systems and are not sure what they do or how they do it. Sometimes, you do not even know why they do it.

    This situation has become common in recent years as technology has bloomed via software as a service and applications for almost every business need. The pandemic made it worse as we saw layoffs and a loss of continuity in systems. The pandemic caused a lot of companies to pause or halt system development and upgrades, which caused some of those processes to fade into a sort of legendary status where no one is sure what is real about it anymore.

    How We Got Here

    Let’s get back to the security concerns. Defining the ins and outs is one of the first steps in securing a place or situation. For example, locking down a room starts with identifying all entrances and exits. If you miss a door, your security will have an easy workaround. Systems are the same. You need to identify what has access to your data and how in order to keep it secure. When we allow our systems and solutions to grow at will, things can get lost.

    Fixing your systems via an IT audit and the subsequent systems upgrades and replacements can be expensive while taking a long time to implement. Security is not something you want to leave until next year. So, how does one address potential security flaws amidst technology sprawl?

    Addressing The Issue

    I recommend utilizing your entire team. This starts with security awareness. Employees need to be aware of the fact that they have access to data and information that is not meant for the general public. They also need to be aware of the many ways that hackers will try to take advantage of employees to gather that data. While it seems like a simple answer, security awareness programs are an excellent start, easy to implement, and often cost less than $5 per employee per month. Many of the security awareness programs and tools out there are not only highly informative, but they are also entertaining and often gamified in a way to keep your employees engaged.

    Do a search for security awareness programs with your favorite search engine and get started today on a safer organization.