Understanding Technical Debt through the Lens of IT Professionals: An Empirical Investigation

Technical debt refers to the long-term costs and challenges arising from short-term technical decisions to accelerate software development. Effectively managing this debt remains a significant challenge in software projects, requiring strategic approaches and specific practices. This study investigates how professionals identify, track, and manage technical debt in real-world software development environments. Our mixed-methods survey of IT professionals yielded 62 valid responses from 83 total. The study explores (i) the influence of project management practices on the emergence and accumulation of technical debt; (ii) the main challenges teams face in monitoring and prioritizing debt throughout the project lifecycle; (iii) professionals’ perceptions of technical debt impacts on software quality attributes; and (iv) the strategies and artifacts most commonly used to handle debt. Our findings reveal that while awareness of technical debt is widespread, many teams lack effective prevention or mitigation processes. Participants identified poor scope definition, deadline pressure, and inadequate documentation as primary causes. Key quality attributes affected include maintainability, reliability, and efficiency. Despite these challenges, professionals emphasized the relevance of culture, communication, and the adoption of structured artifacts—such as code reviews and refactoring tasks—for effective management. The study highlights the need for stronger client involvement and institutional support to enhance technical debt practices and promote long-term software sustainability.