Introduction
In the rapidly evolving tech industry, “technical debt” is a term that often surfaces in conversations around product development and maintenance. For aspiring product managers looking to land a role at a FAANG company, being able to define and handle technical debt is a valuable skill. This blog post focuses on how to answer the interview question, “How would you define tech debt?”, by implementing frameworks proposed in ‘Decode and Conquer: Answers to Product Management Interviews.’
Detailed Guide on Framework Application
To define and explain technical debt, we will use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) framework, typically used for behavioural interview questions but surprisingly effective for concept explanations as well.
- Situation: Outline the context in which technical debt occurs. It often arises during rapid growth phases, tight deadlines, or pivots in product strategy, leading to expedient but suboptimal technical choices.
- Task: The focus here is on explaining the concept. Technical debt refers to the ensuing cost of additional rework caused by choosing an easy, limited, or quick solution now instead of a better approach that would take longer.
- Action: Describe the typical actions that lead to accruing technical debt. This could include taking shortcuts to meet a release deadline or opting for scalability over security or complexity.
- Result: Convey the long-term consequences of technical debt, which can range from system outages to increased maintenance costs and impaired ability to add new features.
For instance, if a product team decides to cut corners on code documentation to push an update faster, the technical debt incurred may result in a longer onboarding time for new developers or difficulties in future troubleshooting. Describing such situations in the interview would demonstrate a clear understanding of technical debt and its implications. It’s important to clarify that, though some degree of technical debt is inevitable, it should be managed wisely to prevent it from becoming a hindrance to growth and innovation.
Conclusion
Understanding technical debt and its trade-offs is a critical component of product management. Using the STAR framework allows candidates to discuss technical debt in a structured and relatable manner. Aspiring product managers should practice articulating their understanding of technical debt and how to manage it, as it showcases both technical savviness and strategic foresight—qualities that are heavily valued during FAANG interviews.