How to Answer: How would you explain the concept of technical debt to a client and convince them to invest appropriately to resolve it?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an IT Business Consultant job interview.
31. How would you explain the concept of technical debt to a client and convince them to invest appropriately to resolve it?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
An interviewer asks this question to learn a candidate's process for educating a client on a technology concept they may have limited knowledge of. Some technology decisions are out of a client's hands and it is important to help them understand the value in investing in development initiatives they do not directly request.
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022
What to Avoid
Avoid communicating that you believe there are technical concepts that clients do not need to understand or be involved in. There are clients who do not wish to be educated on concepts such as technical debt, but all companies and clients are different and may not agree with a strict separation of responsibility.
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022
Answer Example
"I would explain that technical debt represents the cost that must be incurred to address quality issues that occur during the development process. The root cause of technical debt can be timeline constraints, lack of knowledge/expertise, budget issues, or an inability to leverage the best technology available at the time of development.
I would help convince my client to invest in resolving the debt by offering examples of how a failure to address technical debt resulted in additional future expenses and time making business-driven system changes. I would lean on a metaphor to help explain technical debt in the event I am working with a client that is not tech-savvy. Finally, I would work with my client to help them understand the potential impact on their budget and implementation timelines.
Written by Karrie Day on March 8th, 2022