IT Portfolio management as a framework for managing Technical Debt

Abstract

Technical debt (TD) originally names the reoccurring phenomenon of shortcuts and quick fixes within IT development. TD saves time and resources in the short run but may cause problems and require additional resources in the long run. Managing TD is difficult, whether it is seen as a local phenomenon (residing in individual applications) or seen in a portfolio perspective. However, TD is not always caused by the individual developer and it does not always just affect one application. It may affect several parts of the IT portfolio; it may arise in the portfolio and it may be resolved by decisions on an IT-portfolio level. In this paper, we develop a theoretical framework that incorporates TD into IT portfolio management (ITPM). We apply the framework on a case study to explore how TD can be created, reside, resolved and managed in practice in a portfolio-perspective. This paper contributes with a framework integrating TD with ITPM. The paper also provides empirical insights on practice regarding ITPM and TD and highlights implications for research and practice.

SWOT Analysis and Expert Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Introduction of Healthcare Information Systems in Polyclinics in Aktobe, Kazakhstan

“…This category also includes factor analysis methods, which are usually used to manage the entire organization, determine its business strategy, and assess the effectiveness of management based on information, such as real option valuation, applied information economics, and information technologies portfolio management. The balanced score strategic management assessment methodology can be singled out, which can also be used to assess the effectiveness of IT applications [ 3 , 4 ]. Different IT applications of the same type can bring about distinct effects and have different significance, which has elicited interest in the implementation of IT.…”