[stubish]

I like the term because it is like financial debt, and is a good way of communicating the problem to a business person. The debt will need to be paid off at some point, the longer you leave it the more that is going to cost, and it costs you even if you just keep paying the interest. Framed this way, it also helps us explain why many business people don't care. Many will only care about the projects they are currently responsible for and not about next weeks or the ongoing health of the company. With luck, paying the debt will be somebody else's problem. If you called it 'cutting corners', you get a pat on the back for keeping costs down and expected to do it more often. You might even get a bonus if your boss doesn't take the credit.

[andi999]

Well, if too many corners are cut, people understand it as well 'for this feature we have to fix the architecture, we have been cutting too many corners, so otherwise the whole thing will crumble' makes it pretty clear. Also it term makes it clear why the state is as it is (since cutting corners also 'solves' problems). How do you explain why engineers would have been allowed to take on debt on the company?