So the other day I opened up the Tupperware cupboard and something similar to the photo above happened. It dawned on me that every few months I have to do a full clean out and reorganise it all because I can't find any matching containers/lids to use.
That's pretty much what technical debt is.
Explaining the concept to Business folk has always been a challenge due to the inherent scepticism. It can seem like another way for IT departments to overcharge, but follow the analogy to the end and hear me out....
At some stage that Tupperware cupboard was pristine. But over the course of time as it was utilised, we got sloppy. Things didn't get put back where they should, we took shortcuts because we were in a rush and eventually we just threw things in and shut the door really fast before anything spilled out, leaving it to the next person to deal with. The problem with that is it becomes increasingly harder to do anything when you actually need it.
Sound familiar?
The concepts of refactoring, test automation and continuous delivery help keep the cupboard clean and organised so you don't have to spend a lot of time and money doing modernisation/resilience projects every few years.
Hopefully your technology stack looks more like this :)