Standards You Accept
Adherence to standards benchmarks your standard. In 2015, David Morrison gave a direct speech about anti-misogyny which gave us the famous quote: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”
In life, as in Engineering, the standards we tolerate define the outcomes we get; when it comes to Technical Debt, this couldn’t be more relevant. Every day, organisations and teams choose whether to tackle technical debt… or ignore it.
That choice, conscious or not, determines the resilience, scalability, and sustainability of Systems.
The real issue with Technical Debt isn’t just outdated infrastructure or neglected maintenance. It’s about inaction. It’s about accepting the slow decay of quality, reliability, and efficiency in the name of short-term gains.
Like all debt, ignoring it doesn’t make it disappear
it makes it worse.
What is Technical Debt, Really?
Technical Debt is often described as the cost of shortcuts taken today that will require more work in the future. While that’s true, a more dangerous aspect of Technical Debt is cultural acceptance.
When teams and leaders normalise poor Engineering practices, they embed Technical Debt into their organisational DNA:
- Ignored errors become accepted failures,
- Workarounds become the standard way of operating,
- Poor documentation becomes the expected norm,
- Deferred maintenance becomes a systemic risk.
Over time, Technical Debt shifts from being a temporary trade-off to a chronic burden, stalling progress and making even simple improvements costly and complex.
The Hidden Cost of Tolerating Technical Debt
Technical Debt is rarely urgent… until it is. Unlike financial debt, which has clear interest rates and repayment schedules, Technical Debt builds silently. The true cost comes in:
- Reduced adaptability: Execution slows down because improvements become increasingly difficult.
- Increased risk: Safety concerns, inefficiencies, and System failures become more frequent.
- Higher maintenance costs: More time and resources are spent fixing issues instead of delivering new value.
- Talent retention problems: Skilled professionals leave when they feel stuck maintaining fragile Systems.
Ignoring Technical Debt is a choice, but it’s a choice with long-term consequences.
Why Standards Matter in Managing Technical Debt
If you allow Technical Debt to persist, you’re setting a standard… one that says this is acceptable. And what’s acceptable today will define how your organisation operates tomorrow.
Adopting a High Standard for Technical Debt:
- Define what “acceptable” debt looks like: Not all debt is bad; some trade-offs make sense. But set clear boundaries on what’s acceptable and what is not. Set the baseline.
- Make Technical Debt visible: Track it, measure it, review it, and share it regularly.
- Incorporate debt repayment into the Engineering lifecycle: Addressing debt shouldn’t be an afterthought; it should be part of routine planning. Don’t adopt the myth that it only takes 3 weeks to form a habit… it can take months, and if you only do monthly reporting, it’s going to take at least a year!
- Empower teams to challenge low standards: Encourage a workplace culture where Engineers feel comfortable speaking up about poor practices. If you are blessed with a culture where people speak up, make sure you listen and act. There is no quicker way to turn a team from proactive to reactive than placing them with a manager who knows best.
- Use industry standards as benchmarks: Frameworks and best practices provide structured approaches to development, maintenance, and risk management. They are also curated by some of the most recognised and informed practitioners in that field and approved by regulatory bodies. If you aren’t referencing standards regularly, ask yourself: why do you know better?
By proactively managing Technical Debt, organisations shift from being reactive to strategic, ensuring long-term success without sacrificing short-term delivery.
A Simple Office Test: The Kitchen Standard
Want to see an example of how standards work in everyday life? Try this simple test in your office:
- Walk into your communal kitchen or eating area and look around. If this were your home, would you find the state it’s in, acceptable?
- If you cleaned it to match your home standard, do you think it would stay that way, or would you find yourself cleaning again the next day?
- Now consider what actions would be needed to get everyone to maintain the same standard—ensuring no one leaves cups in the sink, that the dishwasher is turned on at the end of the day, and that food isn’t left scattered after a meeting.
If you’ve thought through all three of these steps, ask yourself: Isn’t this exactly how Technical Debt builds up in Engineering projects?
- If small things are left unchecked, they become the norm.
- If nobody takes ownership, bad habits persist.
- If Systems aren’t in place to hold the team accountable, standards erode.
The Call to Action: What’s Your Standard?
So, ask yourself and your team: What standard do we walk by?
Are you part of a culture that tolerates Technical Debt, or are you actively working to control and reduce it?
The reality is that every Engineering decision either reinforces or challenges the status quo. The companies and teams that thrive are the ones that refuse to let Technical Debt spiral out of control.
Start Today:
- Conduct an audit of your Technical Debt using our FREE Technical Debt Audit Checklist.
- Prioritise areas that need immediate attention.
- Establish a plan to pay it down incrementally.