Technical debt

De Nosolosoftwarewiki

«Shipping first time code is like going into debt. A little debt speeds development so long as it is paid back promptly with a rewrite.
Objects make the cost of this transaction tolerable. The danger occurs when the debt is not repaid.
Every minute spent on not-quite-right code counts as interest on that debt.»

• Technical Debt A very good summary.
• The WyCash Portfolio Management System. AFAIK first aparition of the concept, by Ward Cunningham