Technical Debt Calculator

What is Technical Debt?

Technical debt is the implied cost of future rework caused by choosing an easy solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer. Like financial debt, it accumulates interest over time - the longer you wait, the more expensive it becomes to fix.

Why Quantify Technical Debt?

By putting a dollar value on technical debt, engineering teams can have more productive conversations with stakeholders about prioritization. Instead of "we need to refactor," you can say "this debt costs us $50,000/year in lost productivity and takes 2 weeks to fix."

The Payback Period

The payback period shows how long until the time invested in fixing debt pays for itself through reduced ongoing drag. A 4-week payback period means after fixing the debt, youll recover your investment in just one month through improved productivity.