[Archelaos]

Actually, I have an explicit agreement that I can spent around 10% of my time on issues of my choice, without having to check with the management. And sometimes, for bigger refactoring work, I have negotiated explicit to-do-list items. On the other side, in the process of re-evaluating the to-dos, I myself often recommend to postpone refactoring when I see the need for implementing a certain feature fast or when I have the impression that the code quality is "good enough" for the moment. Since management trusts me that I can appreciate the business perspective as well, I actually have little trouble asserting myself when I think a particular refactoring issue should be prioritized.

So in my case, it works in practice.

[wpietri]

No, treating as "any other to-do list item" does not work fine in practice. And you know it, because you spend 10% of your time on work specifically kept out of the normal to-do list flow.

And I'm glad you have a very good relationship with your business stakeholders, but please recognize that's not the modal case, and that giving advice as if it were is going to be bad for people with other circumstances.