People say "technical debt" like it's a bad thing. But those who are serious about software development know that this game is all about managing technical debt. Technical debt is a natural part of the landscape in any software development team’s world. It's neither good, nor bad. Yet when trade-offs are mismanaged, technical debt is likely to cause your productivity to grind to a halt. For people who hit that point and wonder why - there should be no mystery about what causes technical debt, the answer is right in front of you.

Chris will deliver a presentation followed by a brief discussion with the audience about their experience with addressing one important part of managing technical debt.

Main takeaways for the attendees
Technical debt doesn't just arrive from some external source. It’s a result of decisions and actions that people make every day. By understanding and acknowledging the two most common sources, you stand a better chance at organizing your team to recognize and address the problem more effectively.

Attendees should expect to take away some of the following:
- Deeper insight into the Ward Cunningham’s metaphor of Technical Debt
- How to spot problems a mile away
- Getting real when formulating plans to address the problem
- How organized learning is an important aspect of effective debt management