In 2015, Adam Kay released The Big Short, a movie, inspired by real events and characters, about a group of investors who had a clear understanding of what was about to happen in the market before the outbreak of the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage financial crisis.
Foresight and risk (credit default swap) allowed them to win the challenge while the banks were sinking, preserving the status quo…
Software has always debts, to avoid bankruptcy you need a Michael Burry “The Big Short” mindset
Technical debt (or tech debt) is a software development concept representing the implied future cost of rework caused by choosing an easy, fast, or suboptimal solution today instead of a better, more robust approach. Coined by Ward Cunningham, this metaphor highlights that, like financial debt, it accumulates “interest” in the form of increased maintenance, bugs, and slower development speed.
There are “Four Quadrants” of debt:
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- deliberate (strategic)
- inadvertent (accidental)
- prudent (a calculated risk)
- reckless (sloppy work)
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that you can find as code debt (messy code), architectural debt (poor structure), infrastructure debt (outdated tools), and testing debt (lack of automated tests).
Understanding and mostly foreseeing technical debt enables product / project managers to make informed (and risky) decisions about when to take on debt for speed and when to invest in quality, when to prioritize a repayment, and when to allocate a percentage of development time to refactoring.
So remember: this job is not for the faint of heart. Don’t try to be something you’re not.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
When I was 15, I joined a group where guys my age were playing chess. I was also quite good at it to be honest.
Chess is not for timid souls. The greatest lesson I learned is that every action has a consequence, and you have to try to anticipate your opponent’s moves in advance and change your game accordingly.
“You can become a big master in chess only if you see your mistakes and shortcomings. Exactly the same as in life itself.” – Alexander Alekhine.
Chess is a game of understanding and not of memory. The software world is barely the same. You have to understand the game and, as a novel Doctor Strangelove, love the technical debt.
Don’t panic, pivot instead
How product / project managers respond to problems is shaped by many factors. But the most critical is their commitment to continuous learning and a growth mindset that drives the development of disciplined problem-solving practices, effective communication, centralized knowledge systems and operational efficiency. It’s not just about reacting to issues; it’s about building the capacity to learn from them. And then questioning and pivoting your strongest beliefs.
In the startup world, a pivot is the (brave) act of changing a product, service, strategy, or business model to achieve better results. Pivots often occur when a product, platform, or particular audience isn’t meeting key performance indicators (KPIs), generating enough sales, or showing consistent growth.
Using the analogy of a master chef, “having the finest ingredients means little without knowing how, when and in what order to combine the ingredients to produce a culinary delight“. Success lies not just in the tools, but in the process that allows extracting maximum benefit from these tools.
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Stay data-hungry. Stay data-foolish.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Digital Consultant
