When it comes to calculating a ROI, I keep it simple: I assume that we will reduce maintenance costs in an amount equal to the reduction of the technical debt.
It is a hypothesis that can be found simplistic and therefore debatable, but our ambition is not in numbers of an absolute and exact precision – it would be pretentious and unrealistic – but to provide to the management the elements that will facilitate its decision.
And I think that managers prefer a simple and clear hypothesis, even if not completely accurate, rather than a complex formula that is not necessarily more realistic. Continue reading