# Tracy: A Business-driven Technical Debt Prioritization Framework

**Authors:** Rodrigo Rebouças de Almeida, Christoph Treude, Uirá Kulesza  
**arXiv:** [1908.00150](https://arxiv.org/abs/1908.00150)  
**Date:** 2019-07-31  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/1908.00150v1/

## Key points

- Technical debt poses a significant challenge in software development
- Software development teams often face the dilemma of addressing technical debt or developing new features
- "Tracy" framework introduced by researchers prioritizes technical debt through a business-driven approach
- Tracy marks a pivotal moment in Design Science Research, progressing into the third phase of exploration, engineering, and evaluation
- Validation involving 49 professionals from diverse groups across three companies showed promising results for Tracy's effectiveness
- Tracy's structure is coherent and contributes significantly to informed decision-making on technical debt prioritization within a business context
- The framework aligns software development strategies with overarching business objectives
- Tracy provides a systematic approach to prioritize technical debt based on business considerations, optimizing resources and enhancing project efficiency

## Summary

In the realm of software development, technical debt poses a significant challenge that requires careful management and prioritization. Software development teams are constantly faced with the dilemma of whether to address existing technical debt or forge ahead with developing new features. In response to this ongoing struggle, a team of researchers led by Rodrigo Rebouças de Almeida, Christoph Treude, and Uirá Kulesza have introduced "Tracy", a groundbreaking framework designed to prioritize technical debt through a business-driven approach that is seamlessly integrated with existing business processes. The development of Tracy represents a pivotal moment in the field of Design Science Research, marking its progression into the third phase which encompasses exploration, engineering, and evaluation. To validate the effectiveness of Tracy, 49 professionals from 12 diverse groups across three companies were engaged in the exploration and engineering phases. The initial evaluation revealed promising results, indicating that Tracy's structure is coherent and its outcomes significantly contribute to informed decision-making on technical debt prioritization within a business context. This innovative framework not only addresses the pressing issue of technical debt but also underscores the importance of aligning software development strategies with overarching business objectives. By providing a systematic approach to prioritizing technical debt based on business considerations, Tracy offers software development teams a valuable tool for optimizing their resources and enhancing overall project efficiency. As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of software development, Tracy stands out as a beacon of innovation in driving strategic decision-making processes towards sustainable long-term success.