Stakeholder Value Criteria for Technical Debt Acquisition Decisions: An Empirical Analysis

Context: Technical Debt (TD) decision-making is a central challenge in software engineering. Although often framed as a rational economic trade-off, this perspective overlooks the complex real-world dynamics through which TD is negotiated, enacted, and justified in practice. Objective: This study addresses that gap by developing an empirically grounded theoretical framework that explains how TD decisions are made, not only as technical choices but also as situated, socio-technical and symbolic performances. Method: We conducted a qualitative study based on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with eleven experienced software professionals occupying diverse roles in the Brazilian software industry. We used a Grounded Theory-inspired thematic analysis to examine how participants describe and rationalize decisions to incur technical debt. Results: Our main contribution is the Situated Performance Framework for Technical Debt (SPF-TD). This framework re-conceptualizes TD decision-making as a situated performance shaped by five interconnected axes: relational (driven by client and stakeholder relationships), temporal (structured by urgency and delivery pressure), cognitive (guided by heuristics and professional habits), symbolic (enacted through framing and justification), and institutional-political (shaped by organizational culture and power dynamics). The SPF-TD reveals TD not as a static liability, but as a dynamic outcome of continuous negotiation within social and institutional systems. Conclusion: By foregrounding TD decisions’ symbolic and performative nature, the SPF-TD provides a richer and more realistic lens for both researchers and practitioners. It calls for a shift in TD management from purely technical or economic control mechanisms to more reflective, context-aware practices that engage with the human and organizational conditions under which debt is created and sustained.