Debt as a Design Material
A manifesto for engineering with debt, not just repairing it.
Debt is not a burden to be cleared, but a material to be shaped.
The DEBT Framework
Engineer
Intentionally design and architect systems with debt as a known component.
Bet
Make conscious, calculated wagers on which debts to incur for strategic advantage.
Track
Continuously monitor the impact and cost of incurred debt on the system.
Transform
Evolve the debt, paying it down, refinancing it, or letting it mature as planned.
Typologies of Debt
Structural
Architectural compromises made for speed or convenience.
Cognitive
Complexity or lack of clarity that burdens understanding.
Experimental
Temporary solutions built to validate a hypothesis.
Organizational
Misalignments in team structure or process.
Ethical
Decisions that trade user well-being for business goals.
From Burden to Structure
"We stopped talking about 'fixing' debt and started talking about 'investing' in it. The entire emotional landscape of engineering changed."
"Lucidity is the goal. When debt is visible, named, and tracked, it loses its power to create fear and gains the potential to create value."