How do you avoid or minimize technical debt from dependencies in sprint planning?

Technical debt is the cost of compromising quality or maintainability in software development, often due to tight deadlines, changing requirements, or lack of best practices. Dependencies are the relationships between different components or modules of a software system, which can create technical debt if they are not well-managed, tested, or documented. In sprint planning, the process of defining the scope and goals of a short-term iteration of work, you need to consider how to avoid or minimize technical debt from dependencies, as it can affect your team's productivity, quality, and delivery. Here are some tips on how to do that.

1 Identify and prioritize dependencies

Before you start planning your sprint, you need to identify and prioritize the dependencies that your team has or will have on other teams, systems, or resources. Dependencies can be internal, such as shared code, libraries, or services, or external, such as third-party APIs, vendors, or customers. You can use tools such as dependency maps, matrices, or graphs to visualize and analyze the dependencies and their impact. You should prioritize the dependencies based on their urgency, complexity, and risk, and communicate them clearly to your stakeholders and collaborators.

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Sindhu Sujith

🏅15x LinkedIn Top Voice 💡 | Safe Scrum Master at Micro Genesis Tech Soft | Certified SAFe 6.0® Scrum Master | PSM I | Servant Leader | Driving Agile Excellence
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Minimizing technical debt from dependencies during sprint planning requires a proactive, thoughtful approach.Before sprint planning, I ensure the team identifies all dependencies—both internal and external.Tools like dependency matrices or visual dependency maps can help track and understand the impact of these dependencies.During sprint planning, I ensure that work dependent on external factors is prioritized correctly.By anticipating and managing dependencies during sprint planning through these proactive strategies, I help minimize technical debt, allowing the team to deliver high-quality, sustainable software.

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Arijit Auddy

Immediate Joiner | Certified SAFe 6 Scrum Master | PSM I | Digital Transformation | Scrum Values | Effective Communicator | Scrum Framework | Agile Methodology |
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To avoid or minimize technical debt from dependencies in sprint planning, prioritize resolving critical dependencies early. Break down tasks into smaller, independent units to reduce reliance on others. Plan for refactoring and allocate time for addressing technical debt regularly. Ensure clear communication with external teams to manage expectations and avoid delays. Regularly review dependencies during retrospectives to adjust future planning and reduce long-term debt.

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2 Decompose and align dependencies

Once you have identified and prioritized your dependencies, you need to decompose and align them with your sprint goals and tasks. Decomposing means breaking down large or complex dependencies into smaller or simpler ones that can be delivered incrementally or in parallel. Aligning means ensuring that the dependencies are consistent and compatible with your team's vision, architecture, and standards. You can use techniques such as feature toggles, stubs, mocks, or contracts to isolate or simulate dependencies and reduce coupling and uncertainty.

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3 Track and manage dependencies

During your sprint, you need to track and manage the dependencies that your team is working on or waiting for. Tracking means monitoring the status, progress, and changes of the dependencies and their impact on your sprint. You can use tools such as dashboards, boards, or charts to visualize and update the dependency information and alerts. Managing means resolving the issues, risks, or conflicts that arise from the dependencies and their interactions. You can use methods such as escalation, negotiation, or collaboration to address the dependency challenges and ensure alignment and quality.

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4 Review and refactor dependencies

After your sprint, you need to review and refactor the dependencies that your team has delivered or consumed. Reviewing means evaluating the outcomes, feedback, and learnings of the dependencies and their impact on your sprint. You can use practices such as retrospectives, demos, or tests to measure and improve the dependency performance and satisfaction. Refactoring means improving the design, structure, or code of the dependencies to reduce technical debt and increase maintainability and scalability. You can use principles such as SOLID, DRY, or YAGNI to apply the dependency best practices and standards.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you avoid or minimize technical debt from dependencies in sprint planning?

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1 Identify and prioritize dependencies

2 Decompose and align dependencies

3 Track and manage dependencies

4 Review and refactor dependencies

5 Here’s what else to consider

Sprint Planning

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