Foreword xv Introduction xxi
Acknowledgments xxxi
About the Author xxxiii
Chapter 1: Managing Software Debt 1
Where Does Software Debt Come From? 1
Software Debt Creeps In 3
Software Asset Depreciation 5
Business Expectations Do Not Lessen as Software Ages 12
Summary 14
Chapter 2: Technical Debt 15
Origins of Terminology 16
Patterns of Technical Debt 19
Acknowledging Technical Debt 22
Summary 30
Chapter 3: Sustaining Internal Quality 31
Discipline in Approach 31
Summary 52
Chapter 4: Executable Design 55
Principles of Executable Design 55
Executable Design in Practice 59
Summary 79
Chapter 5: Quality Debt 81
Quality as an Afterthought 81
Indicators of Quality Debt 85
Test Automation 93
Summary 104
Chapter 6: Configuration Management Debt 107
Overview of Configuration Management 108
Responsibilities for Configuration Management 109
Release Management 115
Branching Strategies 123
Documenting Software 126
Summary 128
Chapter 7: Design Debt 131
Robustness 131
The Cost of Not Addressing 135
Changeability 138
Review Sessions 146
Summary 150
Chapter 8: Designing Software 153
Application Design 153
Team Tools for Effective Design 163
Summary 171
Chapter 9: Communicating Architectures 173
The Three Levels of Architecture Perspective 173
Architecture Is S.A.I.D. 178
Modeling 186
Summary 188
Chapter 10: Technology Evaluation Styles 191
The Need for Technology Evaluation 191
When to Conduct Technology Evaluations 196
Summary 198
Chapter 11: Platform Experience Debt 199
Defining Platform Experience 199
Sharing Knowledge 203
Collaborative Team Configurations 206
Importance of Relevant Experience 217
Summary 219
Appendix: What Is Agile? 221
Index 229
