[vineyardmike]

> technical-debt comes from things that were done properly the first time

So its not tech debt, its a complex system that takes longer to do things in future. "Bad tech debt" is like credit card debt, short term decisions made at expense of the future to impulsively satisfy immediate needs. "Requirements change over time but it was done right at the time" is like a mortgage and you need to move to a new town. Its entirely reasonable to have a slightly cumbersome payoff process because it was well chosen decisions. Still harder to pay off, and may incur more debt, but as long as its reasonable.