Where capacity goes.
WHAT COMPETES FOR CAPACITY
New features Defects Technical debt Performance and reliability Security Support burden
WHY NEW FEATURES ALWAYS WIN
They are visible, and the others are not.
WHAT THAT PRODUCES
A product that becomes slower to change and less reliable.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
A proportion of capacity reserved for the non-visible work.
WHY A PROPORTION
Without one, it is deferred indefinitely.
WHAT TECHNICAL DEBT IS
Consequences of earlier decisions that make current work harder.
WHY IT IS NOT ALWAYS BAD
Some was a deliberate trade to move faster, and that was correct at the time.
WHAT MAKES IT DANGEROUS
Accumulating without acknowledgement.
WHAT TO ASK ENGINEERS
What slows you down most.
WHAT TO DO WITH THE ANSWER
Address the top items.
WHY
It compounds: fixing them makes everything afterwards faster.
WHAT TO MEASURE
How long changes take, over time.
WHAT A RISING NUMBER INDICATES
Debt is winning.
WHAT TO PRIORITISE ALWAYS
Security issues Data loss risks Defects affecting many users
WHAT TO EXPLAIN TO STAKEHOLDERS
Why invisible work is necessary.
HOW
In terms of speed and risk, not technical detail.
