Template

Technical debt roadmap template

A debt roadmap is useful only when it changes planning behavior. The goal is to pick the few repairs that reduce the most risk for the least disruption.

Section 1

Debt inventory

Group debt by signal instead of listing every complaint. This keeps the roadmap readable.

Architecture coupling and dependency cycles
Test gaps around critical workflows
Security and dependency hygiene
Docs, env vars, and onboarding gaps

Section 2

Priority model

Rank each item by impact, likelihood, effort, and whether it blocks planned product work.

Impact on users, revenue, or delivery speed
Likelihood of causing defects or slowing work
Fix effort and review complexity
Dependencies on upcoming roadmap work

Section 3

30/60/90-day sequence

The first month should handle risk containment. Later work can address structural cleanup and automation.

30 days: secrets, vulnerable dependencies, missing critical tests
60 days: duplication, module boundaries, CI and docs gaps
90 days: recurring audit loop, ownership, and cleanup budget

Section 4

Execution system

Debt work should live in the same planning system as product work so tradeoffs are visible.

Create GitHub issues with acceptance criteria
Attach evidence and affected files
Keep fix PRs small and reviewable
Re-scan after completion to track score movement

How to use this template

Use this template after an audit has already produced findings. The roadmap should decide which debt enters the next planning cycle, not repeat every warning from the scan.
Treat each roadmap item like product work: owner, acceptance criteria, verification, risk type, and expected impact. That makes cleanup visible in planning instead of becoming an informal side quest.
Review the roadmap after each re-scan. Closed issues should move a score, remove a repeated finding, or document why the remaining risk is intentionally accepted.
Do not schedule debt work as one giant initiative. Split the first batch into small issues that can ship beside product work and prove the roadmap is reducing real friction.

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