> Markdown version of [/playlists/refactoring-technical-debt](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/playlists/refactoring-technical-debt). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Playlist: Refactoring & technical debt 21 videos · 23 moments · 76.5 minutes ## Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock - **Balancing technical debt and clean code practices** (07:02, 1min) — Dedicating specific days in the release cycle to refactoring prevents the buildup of unmanageable legacy code. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock) ## Un-complicate authorization maintenance - **Identifying signs of overly complex application authorization logic** (48:13, 2min) — Frequent code churn and massive repository diffs directly indicate a necessity to adopt decoupled access architectures. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/889-un-complicate-authorization-maintenance) ## Single Server, Global Reach: Running a Worldwide Marketplace on Bare Metal in a Cloud-Dominated World - **Balancing technical debt reduction with feature delivery** (33:30, 6min) — Applying continuous refactoring and the strangler fig pattern to improve code health without halting business priorities. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1206-single-server-global-reach-running-a-worldwide-marketplace-on-bare-metal-in-a-cloud-dominated-world) ## CQRS and Event Sourcing without the pixie dust - **Combating technical debt and anti-modularity forces** (05:48, 1min) — Day-to-day workarounds and deferred refactoring actively degrade application architecture over time by accumulating unstructured dependencies. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/163-cqrs-and-event-sourcing-without-the-pixie-dust) ## Fireside Chat with Werner Vogels, VP & CTO, Amazon.com & Daniel Gebler, CTO at Picnic - **Strategic use of technical debt for fast prototyping** (03:45, 2min) — Engineering teams optimize for speed by deliberately introducing technical debt into initial releases and aggressively refining the architecture in... [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1405-fireside-chat-with-werner-vogels-vp-cto-amazon-com-daniel-gebler-cto-at-picnic) ## Thoughts on (Modern?) Software Development - Observations From a 21-Year Journey - **Managing subjective micro challenges and codebase complexity zones** (41:39, 6min) — Steering developers away from dangerously freakish implementations preserves codebase simplicity and long-term team maintenance. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1992-thoughts-on-modern-software-development-observations-from-a-21-year-journey) ## Breaking the Bug Cycle: TDD for the Win - **Managing technical debt for future team success** (18:22, 2min) — Proactively tracking and resolving technical debt accelerates new engineer onboarding and preserves system maintainability. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1037-breaking-the-bug-cycle-tdd-for-the-win) ## How to TDD in legacy code - **Challenges of applying test automation to legacy code** (02:31, 2min) — Complex dependencies and code resistance make traditional testing methodologies risky in existing codebases. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/309-how-to-tdd-in-legacy-code) ## Coffee with Developers - Robby Russell - **Managing technical debt in legacy web applications** (16:14, 3min) — Why organizations benefit from making incremental maintainability improvements across aging codebases instead of pursuing rewrites. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/917-coffee-with-developers-robby-russell) ## Launching a marketplace on-time: A lesson in taking shortcuts using spreadsheets! - **Managing technical debt and the long-term cost of shortcuts** (14:51, 2min) — Delivering the marketplace successfully through extreme procedural shortcuts advertently creates systemic dependencies on unscalable architectures ... - **Securing enterprise funding to refactor unscalable procedural shortcuts** (20:41, 1min) — Transparent communication of deliberate technical debt upfront builds organizational trust and subsequent support for funding robust infrastructura... [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/477-launching-a-marketplace-on-time-a-lesson-in-taking-shortcuts-using-spreadsheets) ## Devs vs. Marketers, COBOL and Copilot, Make Live Coding Easy and more - The Best of LIVE 2025 - Part 3 - **Managing software technical debt and risky code coverups** (15:08, 3min) — Updating neglected frontend libraries often unravels nested dependencies that vastly exceed initial development budget estimates. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1766-devs-vs-marketers-cobol-and-copilot-make-live-coding-easy-and-more-the-best-of-live-2025-part-3) ## Get old, go slow, write code! - **Prioritizing internal code quality to prevent complete systemic rewrites** (31:45, 7min) — Investing engineering effort early to construct well-designed software avoids the expensive trap of compounded technical debt. - **Applying targeted practices to reduce waste and technical debt** (38:48, 4min) — Structuring dedicated time for collaborative code katas, extensive planning, and continuous refactoring fundamentally improves project health. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/343-get-old-go-slow-write-code) ## Move fast with Software Architecture - **Managing technical debt accumulation and unpredicted feature delivery delays** (15:09, 3min) — Accumulating technical debt requires paying continuous system interest through slower development cycles before architectural progression becomes i... [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/206-move-fast-with-software-architecture) ## Pair Programming with Generative Agents: Refactoring Legacy Android at Speed - **Identifying accumulated architectural debt in a modern codebase** (05:51, 2min) — Manual deployments, tight navigation coupling, and locked dependencies created a fragile development environment. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100224-pair-programming-with-generative-agents-refactoring-legacy-android-at-speed) ## Keep your code refactorable - **Balancing urgent feature deadlines with ongoing refactoring needs** (24:20, 2min) — Navigating management pressure requires establishing a functional testing baseline and clearly communicating the systemic risks of continued techni... [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/381-keep-your-code-refactorable) ## Product Managers' Eternal Battle with Refactoring - **Five team approaches to handling engineering refactoring work** (02:26, 2min) — Strategies for integrating code cleanup range from strict roadmap allocation to complete avoidance. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/787-product-managers-eternal-battle-with-refactoring) ## How Unit Testing Saved My Career - **Navigating legacy projects lacking existing unit tests** (14:33, 2min) — The absence of automated test suites prevents safe refactoring and accelerates the deterioration of codebases. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1642-how-unit-testing-saved-my-career) ## Identifying code smells - **Defining code smells and identifying deeper system problems** (01:01, 3min) — Setting the scope of code smells as surface-level indicators of bad design helps teams communicate efficiently and maintain testable code. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1047-identifying-code-smells) ## Write tests you love, not hate - **How fragile and slow tests compound technical debt** (04:12, 5min) — Fragile tests that break on minor code movements discourage test creation and ultimately reduce development velocity. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/662-write-tests-you-love-not-hate) ## How to Domain Model – An example from manufacturing - **Final benefits of relying on strict domain models** (28:37, 1min) — Aligning software processes directly with the physical domain limits downstream code breakage when underlying infrastructure changes. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/742-how-to-domain-model-an-example-from-manufacturing) ## WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Is AI replacing developers?, Stopping bots, AI on device & more - **Managing code bloat and architectural waste** (30:13, 4min) — Automated code generation often leaves abandoned imports and redundant functions behind when switching developmental approaches. [Learn more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1327-wearedevelopers-live-is-ai-replacing-developers-stopping-bots-ai-on-device-more)