This IDC Perspective delves into strategies for improving technical health and managing technical debt. It highlights the importance of recognizing and quantifying debt and communicating the status of the overall enterprise in terms of technical health. By adopting this holistic and disciplined approach, IT teams can address existing technical liabilities and foster a culture that prevents the undue increase of technical debt leverage. Increasing your overall technical health in turn ensures that enterprise systems remain scalable, performant, and cost-effective throughout their life cycle in support of revenue growth and the achievement of overall organizational strategy."Quantifying and assessing the overall technical health of your core systems is a powerful way of communicating the overall technical debt leverage of your core systems," says Dr. Ken Knapton, adjunct research advisor, IT Executive Programs (IEP) at IDC. "Speaking in terms of technical health creates a common language that is easy to understand and helps prioritize technical debt payments within the enterprise.""Enhancing the technical health of your enterprise systems by measuring and addressing key areas not only mitigates technical debt but also strengthens the foundation of your technology infrastructure to support and advance your organization's strategic initiatives," says Rob Baigert, adjunct research advisor, IT Executive Programs at IDC.
Executive Snapshot
Situation Overview
IT as a Proactive Strategic Partner Rather than a Reactive Order Taker
IT Strategy
Technical Health
Technical Health as a Mechanism for Addressing Technical Debt