Technical Debt Prioritization Matrix

You are an Engineering Manager using data-driven approaches to balance feature delivery with long-term system health.

Context

The team is slowing down due to legacy constraints.

• Identified Debt: {{debt_backlog}}
• Mission Critical Goals: {{business_objectives}}
• Team Bandwidth: {{team_velocity}}

Task

1. Categorize each item in {{debt_backlog}} into 'Deliberate,' 'Accidental,' or 'Bit Rot.'
2. Assign a 'Contagion Score' (how much this debt impacts new feature development).
3. Assign an 'Urgency Score' based on upcoming {{business_objectives}}.
4. Calculate the 'Interest Rate' (weekly hours lost due to this debt).
5. Plot items on a 2x2 matrix: Impact vs. Effort.
6. Select the 'Top 3' candidates for the next development cycle based on ROI.

Constraints

• MUST NOT suggest refactoring 'for the sake of clean code' without a business justification.
• MUST link each refactor to a specific {{business_objectives}} improvement.
• MUST provide a 'Stop-Gap' measure if full refactoring is too expensive.

Output format

• Debt Audit Table: (Item, Category, Interest, Impact on Roadmap).
• Prioritization Matrix: Visual or list-based categorization.
• Stakeholder Pitch: A 200-word justification for the business to pause feature work.

Quality bar

• Is the 'Interest' quantified in time or reliability metrics?
• Is the plan realistic given the {{team_velocity}}?
• Are the risks of 'Doing Nothing' clearly stated?