Managing Technical Debt in Product Roadmaps Through Quantitative Prioritization Frameworks

Authors

  • Vandana Badiou Technical Debt and Software Quality Strategist, France Author

Keywords:

Technical Debt, Product Roadmap, Quantitative Prioritization, Software Quality, Decision Framework, Agile Development, Architecture Debt, TD Metrics, Debt Refactoring, Portfolio Management

Abstract

Technical debt (TD) refers to the long-term cost of choosing sub-optimal solutions for short-term delivery gains. Managing TD effectively is critical to maintaining software quality and scalability. However, prioritizing TD within product roadmaps remains a challenge, particularly in fast-paced agile environments. This research explores how quantitative prioritization frameworks can support strategic TD management within product roadmaps. It synthesizes state-of-the-art frameworks, presents a decision-making model, and evaluates them across empirical data from multiple software product case studies. Our findings highlight the efficacy of combining risk metrics, value-driven scoring, and architectural impact assessments in roadmap planning.

References

Ramasubbu, N., & Kemerer, C. F. (2017). Integrating TD and Quality Management. IEEE Trans. on Software Engineering.

Anugula Sethupathy, U.K. (2022). API-driven architectures for modern digital payment and virtual account systems. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science, 4(8), 2442–2451. https://doi.org/10.56726/IRJMETS29156

Garbajosa, J., Fernández-Sánchez, C., & Yagüe, A. (2017). Managing Technical Debt Elements. Elsevier.

Perera, J., Tempero, E., Tu, Y. C., & Blincoe, K. (2023). Quantifying Technical Debt. arXiv:2303.06535

Rosser, L. A., & Norton, J. H. (2021). A Systems Perspective on Technical Debt. IEEE Aerospace Conf.

De Weck, O. L. (2022). Technology Roadmapping and Development. Springer.

Lenarduzzi, V., et al. (2019). Technical Debt Prioritization: A Systematic Review. arXiv:1904.12538

Ozkaya, I., Kruchten, P., & Nord, R. (2012). Managing Architectural Debt. CMU/SEI.

De Almeida, R., Kulesza, U., & Treude, C. (2018). TD Prioritization with Business Objectives. IEEE.

Martini, A., Besker, T., & Bosch, J. (2018). Technical debt tracking: Current state of practice. Science of Computer Programming, 163, 42–61.

Lenarduzzi, V., Taibi, D., & Morasca, S. (2020). Towards accurately estimating technical debt interest. Empirical Software Engineering, 25, 2656–2694.

Kruchten, P., Nord, R. L., & Ozkaya, I. (2012). Technical debt: From metaphor to theory and practice. IEEE Software, 29(6), 18–21.

Klimczyk, P., & Madeyski, L. (2020). Technical debt-aware estimations in software engineering: A systematic mapping study. E-Informatica Software Engineering Journal, 14(1), 7–30.

Martini, A., & Bosch, J. (2015). Towards prioritizing architecture technical debt: Information needs of architects and product owners. 41st Euromicro Conference on Software Engineering and Advanced Applications, 422–429.

Downloads

Published

2025-02-24

How to Cite

Vandana Badiou. (2025). Managing Technical Debt in Product Roadmaps Through Quantitative Prioritization Frameworks. International Journal of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (IJITEE), 14(1), 58-63. https://ijitee.com/index.php/home/article/view/IJITEE_14_01_008