Beyond Technical Debt Unravelling Organisational Debt Concept

The development of software and systems is a complex task that involves social, technical and organisational factors. Technical debt is a well-known concept that refers to the negative consequences of taking shortcuts in software development. However, organisational debt (OD) is a less well-known phenomenon that arises due to shortcuts in the organisational structure and processes of a software organisation. The lack of a clearly defined OD makes it difficult to identify and manage this type of debt. This study presents a multi-vocabulary literature review that consolidates an understanding of the nature of OD and its impact on software organisations. OD encompasses a set of attributes, precedents and outcomes. In addition, this study highlights the five causes and mitigation strategies of OD. The results of this study indicate that software companies are facing a major issue with OD. Future research should include empirical studies to validate techniques that can assist software professionals in managing OD to address this issue.