Is your code slowing you down？ Do you feel like every change takes longer than it should， reviews drag on， and even small fixes feel risky？ You’re not alone—your codebase is full of technical debt， and it’s working against you every day。

In Swimming in Tech Debt， veteran engineer， manager， and technical executive Lou Franco shows you how to turn that resistance into momentum。 Drawing from more than 30 years of building and leading software teams， Franco offers a practical， research-backed guide to managing and paying down technical debt without stopping feature work。

Franco defines tech debt not as something you “owe，” but as resistance—like swimming upstream。 When you remove that resistance， you push off the wall， gain speed， and extend your flow。 By regularly paying down the right debt at the right time， you can make immediate productivity gains while setting your team up for long-term success。

This book is for engineers， team leads and managers， and executives who want

Identify and prioritize the debt that’s actually slowing you down todayUse tech debt payments to increase developer productivity immediatelyIntegrate small， effective debt payments into your everyday codingRun team-wide processes for scoring， prioritizing， and deciding on debtCommunicate about technical debt in ways stakeholders will valueBalance fixing debt with delivering roadmap itemsUse technical debt payoffs to speed up code reviewsInfluence CTOs and executives to support larger initiativesCreate a culture where paying down tech debt is part of how you workWhether you’re a solo developer swimming against the current， helping your team go in the same direction， or hoping to influence an entire organization， Swimming in Tech Debt will help you turn every debt payoff into momentum—so you can get your work done faster and with more joy。