# A Pragmatic Approach to Tech Debt Reduction

DevFeed: [A Pragmatic Approach to Tech Debt Reduction](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-pragmatic-approach-to-tech-debt-reduction-1982.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://developers.soundcloud.com/blog//a-pragmatic-approach-to-tech-debt-reduction>)

Published: 2018-11-23T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [SoundCloud Backstage Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/soundcloud-backstage-blog.md>)

Topics: [Tech Debt](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tech-debt.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/coding.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/systems.md>)

Tags: [bugs](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bugs.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [developer](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developer.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [engineering-culture](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering-culture.md>), [systems](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/systems.md>), [tech-debt](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tech-debt.md>), [upgrades](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/upgrades.md>)

## AI overview

This developer article presents lessons from a SoundCloud team's project to reduce tech debt in legacy and difficult-to-understand systems. It explains how excessive tech debt can make systems unmaintainable, while everyday issues such as intermittently failing tests increase development time, stress, bugs, and the risk of ignoring test failures. The article introduces approaches for deciding how to address accumulated tech debt.

## Source excerpt

Almost every company accumulates tech debt as time goes on. Tight deadlines, changing requirements, scaling issues, poor or short-sighted system designs, knowledge silos, inconsistent coding practices, turnover of key staff -- these things all happen and can contribute to tech debt. So what can be done about it once it's there?