Devoxx Greece 2024 Unmasking social debt: The silent threat to your team's success by Kim Van Wilgen

Uncover the hidden cost of social debt in your agile team, exploring communication, collaboration, and code quality. Learn how to identify, repay, and prevent this silent threat to team success and morale.

Key takeaways
  • Social debt is the cumulative cost of adverse effects within a team’s process, impacting their ability to perform.
  • It’s inevitable when leading an agile transformation, but early identification and repayment are crucial.
  • To understand social debt, you need to explore team communication, collaboration, and how knowledge is shared.
  • Social structure affects code quality, and recognizing roles such as coordinators, shapers, and implementers can help resolve conflicts.
  • Leadership plays a vital role in acknowledging and addressing social debt.
  • Companies should focus on consent, ownership, and boundaries within the team.
  • Measuring code smells can reveal patterns and improve processes.
  • Paying attention to micromanagement and enabling feedback helps reduce social debt.
  • Transparency in the development process and shared values among team members are crucial.
  • It’s essential to create opportunities for growth, learning, and personal connections within the team.
  • In extreme cases, social debt can lead to decreased team morale, high turnover, and lost revenue.
  • Repaying social debt involves addressing the root cause and introducing measures to prevent its re-occurrence.
  • The key is to find a balance between individual needs, roles, and shared goals, leading to a cohesive and productive team.