Why Most Tech Debt Is a Leadership Failure

Blaming Engineers Is Easy—and Wrong

When systems degrade, leaders often blame developers for moving too fast or cutting corners. But engineers rarely control priorities.

Tech debt is almost always a management decision.

The Real Causes

• Output Over Outcomes: Shipping features without measuring impact.
• No Time for Maintenance: Roadmaps that ignore refactoring are ticking bombs.
• Invisible Work: Stability work is undervalued because it doesn’t demo well.

"Show me your roadmap, and I'll show you your future outages."

Great leaders protect technical quality—not as perfection, but as strategic leverage.