The TechDebt Game -- Enabling Discussions about Technical Debt
| Title: | The TechDebt Game -- Enabling Discussions about Technical Debt |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Wiese, Marion, Heinrichs, Angelina, Rusieshvili, Nino, de Almeida, Rodrigo Rebouças, Borowa, Klara |
| Publication Year: | 2025 |
| Collection: | Computer Science |
| Subject Terms: | Computer Science - Software Engineering |
| More Details: | Context. Technical Debt (TD), defined as software constructs that are beneficial in the short term but may hinder future change, is a frequently used term in software development practice. Nevertheless, practitioners do not always fully understand its definition and, in particular, conceptual model. Previous research highlights that communication about TD is challenging, especially with non-technical stakeholders. Discussions on this topic often cause conflicts due to misunderstandings related to other stakeholders' perspectives. Goal. We designed a board game to emulate TD concepts to make them tangible to all stakeholders, including non-technical ones. The game aims to encourage discussions about TD in an emulated and safe environment, thereby avoiding real-life conflicts. Method. To evaluate the game's effectiveness, we surveyed 46 practitioners from diverse domains, positions, and experience levels who played the game in 13 sessions following extensive testing during its development. In addition to the players' general feedback, we examined situations where players recognized new insights about TD or connected game scenarios to real-life experiences. Results. Overall, the feedback on the game and its enjoyment factor were highly positive. While developers and software architects often connected game situations to their real-world experiences, non-technical stakeholders, such as scrum masters, product owners, and less experienced developers, encountered multiple new insights on TD. Numerous players have shifted their attitudes toward TD and have outlined a plan to modify their behavior regarding TD management. Conclusions. Although the game may not lead to long-term behavior change among stakeholders, participants' feedback provides evidence that it might serve as a valuable starting point for team discussions on technical debt management. Comment: preprint - accepted for publication at TechDebt 20205 |
| Document Type: | Working Paper |
| Access URL: | http://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02174 |
| Accession Number: | edsarx.2502.02174 |
| Database: | arXiv |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The TechDebt Game -- Enabling Discussions about Technical Debt – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wiese%2C+Marion%22">Wiese, Marion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Heinrichs%2C+Angelina%22">Heinrichs, Angelina</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rusieshvili%2C+Nino%22">Rusieshvili, Nino</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22de+Almeida%2C+Rodrigo+Rebouças%22">de Almeida, Rodrigo Rebouças</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Borowa%2C+Klara%22">Borowa, Klara</searchLink> – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Year Group: Date Data: 2025 – Name: Subset Label: Collection Group: HoldingsInfo Data: Computer Science – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Science+-+Software+Engineering%22">Computer Science - Software Engineering</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Description Group: Ab Data: Context. Technical Debt (TD), defined as software constructs that are beneficial in the short term but may hinder future change, is a frequently used term in software development practice. Nevertheless, practitioners do not always fully understand its definition and, in particular, conceptual model. Previous research highlights that communication about TD is challenging, especially with non-technical stakeholders. Discussions on this topic often cause conflicts due to misunderstandings related to other stakeholders' perspectives. Goal. We designed a board game to emulate TD concepts to make them tangible to all stakeholders, including non-technical ones. The game aims to encourage discussions about TD in an emulated and safe environment, thereby avoiding real-life conflicts. Method. To evaluate the game's effectiveness, we surveyed 46 practitioners from diverse domains, positions, and experience levels who played the game in 13 sessions following extensive testing during its development. In addition to the players' general feedback, we examined situations where players recognized new insights about TD or connected game scenarios to real-life experiences. Results. Overall, the feedback on the game and its enjoyment factor were highly positive. While developers and software architects often connected game situations to their real-world experiences, non-technical stakeholders, such as scrum masters, product owners, and less experienced developers, encountered multiple new insights on TD. Numerous players have shifted their attitudes toward TD and have outlined a plan to modify their behavior regarding TD management. Conclusions. Although the game may not lead to long-term behavior change among stakeholders, participants' feedback provides evidence that it might serve as a valuable starting point for team discussions on technical debt management.<br />Comment: preprint - accepted for publication at TechDebt 20205 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Working Paper – Name: URL Label: Access URL Group: URL Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="http://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02174" linkWindow="_blank">http://arxiv.org/abs/2502.02174</link> – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: edsarx.2502.02174 |
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