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Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

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Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#21

Post by laumars »

pferde wrote: post #13
rimliu wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OTOH there are thousands of tourist attractions that are not leaning. So unless the only interesting feature of your software is the technical debt I am not sure how this metaphor applies.

I think the metaphor is trying to say that in real world, things don't always work out perfectly, and you often have to resort to creating some technical debt to make the deadlines for the release. Even if it's not pretty. This metaphor cannot be stretched too far, though, since the actual tower has the leaning as one of its main attractions, whereas in your project, the technical debt is best hidden from tourists (c…

I agree. In fact I think it's quite a nice high-level illustration of the pros and cons of tech debt.

It amazes me the number of people who think metaphors and analogies are literal copies of the concept they're approximating and thus proceed to nitpick those comparisons.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#22

Post by crimsonalucard »

Analogies create a false sense of meaning. Nothing new is gained other than an isomorphism. There is no logical transfer of new information because the analogy only works if you already understand both concepts. Additionally, analogies may over simplify concepts but usually people are too enamored by the isomorphism to really see it.

Think about this famous analogy: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

I clearly know about how life and a box of chocolates can be random at times. This is dead obvious information to the point of pointlessness. Yet in church or in meetings you see people nod their heads in agreement as if something insightful was said. Here's reality: Nothing insightful was said, the person who was comparing life to a box of chocolates is literally mentally retarded.

Analogies are used to manipulate, not to inform.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#23

Post by snidane »

akerro wrote: post #6
rubenbe wrote: post #3

I tend use the "Leaning Tower of Pisa" metaphor. If it leans too much, the tower will fall down. If it doesn't tilt at all, you won't sell tickets to tourists. The art is to find the sweet spot.

> If it doesn't tilt at all, you won't sell tickets to tourists. I dont know about that... Eiffel tower is vertically straight and sells a lot of tickets.

I sometimes use a container ship example. Management makes decisions about steering course and that is possible when you have small cargo. If you decided to pile up 1 kilometer tall stack of containers and didn't bother laying some of them down at the port then you'll have damn hard time steering the ship. You have to make sure it doesn't topple over completely by that point.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#24

Post by brianmcc »

epicgiga wrote: post #9

Analogies and metaphors are pointless. Whenever you use them, they'll just respond with their own counter metaphors they pull equally efficiently from their own rear ends, with a tone of indignation, implying you're trying to trick them. The only thing that works with technical debt is to aggressively uncover and strike down any short term incentivisation from an organization perspective, and to set in absolute concr…

IMO analogies and metaphors can absolutely help build trust across groups which may not yet really understand each other's domains.

They can be highly successful, but from your comment it sounds like you've dealt with managers or clients who simply want to "win the conversation". In that case I can understand why you'd prefer to take care of the necessary remediation more covertly.

Doesn't mean others won't benefit from apt metaphors though - bad collaboration partners sounds the issue here, not figurative techniques per se.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#25

Post by matteuan »

coldtea wrote: post #20
akerro wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If it doesn't tilt at all, you won't sell tickets to tourists. I dont know about that... Eiffel tower is vertically straight and sells a lot of tickets.

That's because it's unique. The tower of Piza is like several other towers if you take out the leaning part.

It's beautiful and also a very important piece of Romanesque architecture. It's probably the greatest example of circular bell tower. I'm sure that if it was not leaning, it would be still very appreciated, maybe not by the postcard turists but surely not considered "like several other towers".

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#26

Post by bobbytran »

Technical debt for me means I will have a job fixing it at my current company for many years to come (If I want it).

There will almost always be technical debt to some degree when it comes to software. Nothing is perfect and we always dont have the time to create the perfect fix..and instead need to just create something that works.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#27

Post by coldtea »

matteuan wrote: post #25
coldtea wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because it's unique. The tower of Piza is like several other towers if you take out the leaning part.

It's beautiful and also a very important piece of Romanesque architecture. It's probably the greatest example of circular bell tower. I'm sure that if it was not leaning, it would be still very appreciated, maybe not by the postcard turists but surely not considered "like several other towers".

>it's probably the greatest example of circular bell tower.

Yeah, but in Italy those are a dime a dozen.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#28

Post by knightofmars »

lr4444lr wrote: post #14

It's a good analogy, but if this is what it took to get through to your PM what technical debt is, I think you should look for another job, stat. This is a core concept anyone with that kind of power over your work hours should understand deeply already.

>This is a core concept anyone with that kind of power over your work hours should understand deeply already.

If the individual(s) with power over ones work have spent time writing code then they will most likely have an understanding. If they haven't then it often takes analogies of this nature to help them begin to understand what technical debt is and how it has an impact on the future of the product.

Re: Technical Debt Is Like a Tetris Game

#29

Post by newbkoder »

The best analogy for technical debt is debt - that is where it got the name from! Just like financial debt, technical debt is not necessary a bad thing, but a tool - and something to manage, control and track. And just like financial debt, taking out too much technical debt without paying it back can crush you.

There is nothing wrong with taking out a mortgage (and thus getting into debt) to buy a house - you just need to understand how to pay it off. Similarly, if you start a startup trying to find product-market fit before running out of money, there is nothing wrong taking on technical debt to do so, as long as you understand what you are doing.

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