Meaning
The implied future cost of extra rework caused by choosing an easy or quick solution now instead of a better, maintainable approach.
Three examples from work
Roadmap planning
LeadIf we don't allocate time to pay down technical debt, our velocity will drop.
POLet's dedicate twenty percent of each sprint to tech debt.
Architecture review
ArchitectHardcoding these configurations introduces severe tech debt.
DevUnderstood, I will move them to environment variables.
Post-launch debrief
CTOWe shipped the MVP fast, but accumulated significant tech debt.
LeadWe scheduled two cleanup sprints before onboarding new enterprise clients.
Collocations include 'pay down tech debt', 'accumulate tech debt', and 'service tech debt'. Frame it to non-engineers as financial interest on shortcuts.