3 talent strategies to help tackle technical debt

Technical debt is a growing problem that businesses can’t ignore.

Also known as code debt, it’s the accumulation of legacy systems and applications that are difficult to maintain and support, as well as poorly written or hastily implemented code that increases risk over time. These technical challenges can significantly impact the performance and stability of critical operations and must be addressed as a priority.

These challenges are impacting organizations in other ways. According to a Protiviti report¹:

• Nearly 7 in 10 organizations believe technical debt has a high level of impact on their ability to innovate.
• Organizations spend an average of 30% of their IT budgets and investing on technical debt management.

Digital transformation success depends on resolving technical debt. Yet, that can’t happen without the right people in place, says Ryan Sutton, executive director for technology talent solutions at Robert Half. “The right hiring strategy can help organizations reduce labor costs, and then reassign labor savings toward addressing technical debt,” he says.

Sutton recommends three strategies to help keep technical debt in check.

1. Assess technology and processes before filling tech skills gaps

Businesses should first review their tech strategy to understand the organization’s current state and what needs to improve for the future, he says. This involves assessing the hardware, software, network, bandwidth, and efficiency of the IT stack. Next, evaluate business processes—those attached to tech and otherwise—to understand common best practices and opportunities for change.

It’s critical to examine these two areas before identifying tech skills gaps, Sutton says: “You’re assessing the skill set of your internal team today and then aligning them with the skills you’ll need to meet objectives in the next five years.”

Common talent gaps for organizations managing ERP systems, for example, tend to include business analysis, project management, and requirement gathering, he says. Other expertise requirements, particularly for organizations moving from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud, may include code assessment and application architecture design.

Overall, this assessment strategy helps identify areas where tech debt can be immediately reduced and avoided in the future.

 2. Recruit contract talent to create required bandwidth

Talent shortages are the top challenge causing IT leaders to redirect their time away from strategic and innovative tasks, according to the Foundry “State of the CIO” report.² Organizations can address this issue and reduce technical debt in a few ways, Sutton says.

First, provide opportunities for internal team members to work on innovative projects for exposure and experience to advance their career. Second: use contract talent to support your core team as needed.

“Organizations that promote career development can help employees keep up with new technologies and close skills gaps, which are essential steps for addressing technical debt,” Sutton says.

Bringing in highly skilled contract staff for as long as needed is part of a scalable talent model, which allows organizations to cost-effectively scale their workforce up or down to meet changing business demands.

3. Upskill employees

Upskilling increases employee engagement and retention, improves succession planning, and leads to more resilient and maintainable systems over time. Investing in your employees’ growth and development also fosters innovation, supports knowledge management, and creates a continuous learning cycle.

Nurturing employee talent requires careful planning and time. Leaders should audit existing skills, and then identify the expertise necessary to fill current gaps as well as projected future needs. These reviews should ideally happen once a quarter, Sutton says.

Finally, align upskilling initiatives—whether through tuition reimbursement programs or other training initiatives—with organizational goals and upcoming needs. “This is something that takes time but helps create a future-ready IT workforce.”

To learn more about ways to reduce tech debt through workforce strategies, visit roberthalf.com.

¹Protiviti, “The Innovation vs. Technical Debt Tug of War,” June, 2023

²Foundry, 2024 State of the CIO