Process Debt: Definition, Risks, and Management

Abstract

Process debt, like technical debt, can be a source of short-term benefits but often leads to harmful consequences in the long term for a software organization. Despite its impact, the phenomenon of process debt has not been thoroughly explored in current literature, leaving a gap in understanding how it affects and is managed within organizations. This paper addresses this gap by defining process debt, describing its occurrence, the risks of its mismanagement, and showing examples of mitigation strategies. Our study began with an exploratory phase involving semi-structured interviews with sixteen practitioners across four international organizations, allowing us to gather diverse insights into the occurrence and management of process debt. Then, to deepen our understanding and validate our findings, we conducted a cross-company focus group with ten additional practitioners and analyzed fifty-eight observations and thirty-five interviews from a longitudinal case study. The analysis of the research findings led to a definition of process debt and a novel framework. We also report on the causes, consequences, and occurrence patterns of process debt over time. We present mitigation strategies and discuss which ones need further attention for future research. Our results suggest that the debt metaphor may help companies understand how to manage and improve their processes and make process-related decisions that are beneficial both in the short and long term.