<p>In the world of software development, technical debt is the accumulation of code, shortcuts, or imperfections that are introduced to speed up a project. While these quick fixes may seem like a good idea in the short term, they can lead to long-term challenges. Just as financial debt accrues interest over time, technical debt accrues "interest" in the form of additional time and resources required to maintain and enhance the software.</p>

Understanding Technical Debt

<p>Technical debt can manifest in various ways; affecting the scalability, performance, and maintenance of software systems. As businesses evolve and technology advances, the burden of technical debt can obstruct innovation and hinder progress for team members.</p><p>Addressing technical debt is not just a matter of software quality; it’s there to ensure the long-term sustainability of a custom software build.</p>

Implications of Technical Debt

<p>Here at Si digital, we uphold proactive measures to mitigate technical debt and create software solutions with the aim of efficiency and longevity. Here are some of our top strategies we use to address and resolve technical debt effectively:</p><ol class="list-number"><li value=1><strong>Refactoring & Code Cleanup:</strong> Regular refactoring of code and elimination of redundant or outdated components can help improve the quality and maintainability of software systems.</li><li value=2><strong>Automated Testing:</strong> Implementing robust automated testing frameworks can identify and flag potential issues early in the development process, reducing the accumulation of technical debt.</li><li value=3><strong>Knowledge Sharing:</strong> Maintaining documentation and knowledge sharing within teams can prevent the recurrence of technical debt and promote best practices. It’s also a great way to enhance team-working skills.</li><li value=4><strong>Iterative Development:</strong> Adopting an iterative development approach allows for frequent feedback and opportunities to address technical debt throughout the project lifecycle instead of it building up towards the end.</li></ol><p>Technical debt is an inherent aspect of software development, but it does not have to be a hindrance. By understanding the implications and implementing proactive measures before it becomes an issue, businesses can ensure the sustainability of their custom builds.</p>

Tackling Technical Debt

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<p>If you’d like to book in a consultation with us, feel free to submit a <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">form</a> to get in touch. At Si digital, we are committed to finding elegant solutions to complex technical problems, ensuring that our clients achieve their customer satisfaction goals.</p>

<p>It’s been a rough <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/27/24256361/wordpress-wp-engine-drama-explained-matt-mullenweg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">couple of weeks for WordPress</a>—it’s found itself at the centre of <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/12/24268637/wordpress-org-matt-mullenweg-acf-fork-secure-custom-fields-wp-engine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quite a big a media storm</a>. We’ve gradually been moving away from WordPress to <a href="https://payloadcms.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Payload</a> over the last year or so, and in this Lab Note we take a look at why we’re making the move and how it benefits both us and our clients.</p>

<p>We’re always looking for new and exciting ways to improve our development processes and provide clients with the absolute best quality product we can. Part of this has involved transitioning our choice of content management system (CMS) from WordPress to Payload.</p><p>Payload is a <a href="https://www.sanity.io/headless-cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headless CMS</a> built using <a href="https://www.typescriptlang.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TypeScript</a>, <a href="https://nodejs.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Node.js</a> and <a href="https://react.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">React</a>—all of which we’re familiar with. It’s also highly customisable, which means we can create custom APIs and very flexible content models that adapt to whatever our clients need.</p><p>When we first began looking into moving beyond WordPress, we researched a few different options, including Contentful and Sanity. We knew what we were looking for, and had a few criteria to meet. Firstly, we wanted a platform that’s reliable, secure and well maintained. These are all core values that benefit both us and our clients.</p><p>Secondly, whatever platform we chose needed to be scalable across sites large and small. We didn’t want to choose a platform that might limit us in the future.</p><p>This is where Payload really came into it’s own. So let’s take a look at some of the benefits of Payload in a bit more detail.</p>

Why Payload?

<p>When it comes to our clients, as an agency we like to make sure we’re offering the absolute best solution to their problems. And Payload definitely helps with this. There’s a few key areas that Payload really excels in…</p><h3>Performance</h3><p>Every website should perform well, especially when it comes to site speed. On average, <a href="https://prerender.io/blog/page-speed-tips-and-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">around 40% of desktop</a> users will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load. That jumps up to 53% for users on mobile devices.</p><p>This is where Payload’s headless CMS comes into play. Because it’s so streamlined, it’s typically faster at loading content and images, especially when paired with Next.js static site generation. This is a huge benefit to our clients. Getting users to the content they want quickly and seamlessly is a key UX principal, and ultimately results in higher conversions.</p><h3>Same Flexibility</h3><p>Payload offers the same flexibility as WordPress. Being able to easily adapt and add to our sites is an important part of what we offer to our clients. Payload’s flexible content modelling allows us to quickly and easily add features and fields to any site, meaning it can scale and grow quickly and smoothly.</p><h3>Modern</h3><p>Payload is built with the very latest versions of TypeScript and Node. This means it’s updated regularly with security and bug fixes to keep your site and data safe. It also means it integrates well with other Javascript frameworks, like Next.js.</p><h3>Self-hosted</h3><p>Payload is self-hosted, meaning we have control over and oversight of all the data the site contains and accesses. This is crucial for companies and sites that contain sensitive user data.</p><h3>APIs</h3><p>When it comes to Application Programming Interface (API) integration, Payload’s headless CMS features an API endpoint. This means we can quickly and easily fetch, update and create data from any website or app. It also means our clients can use the data from the CMS anywhere they like.</p><h3>Familiarity</h3><p>Moving to a new CMS can be a bit daunting, but Payload brings with it a familiar way of working when compared to the likes of WordPress. It’s a field-based CMS, so building pages and adding content is an experience a lot of our clients are already familiar with.</p><h3>Version control</h3><p>Version control allows us to track and manage changes to our code over time. Every time we make a change to the codebase, we push this up to GitHub where it’s reviewed before being pushed to live. It’s an extra level of safety that means everything is sense-checked before it goes out into the world.</p><h3>Customisable</h3><p>It might seem trivial, but the Payload CMS can be fully customised and branded up to match your company’s brand identity.</p><h3>Quality</h3><p>Quality is what drives us as an agency. Thanks to TypeScript, we know we’re writing quality code every time. TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, designed and developed by Microsoft. But, when compared to JavaScript, TypeScript provides us with more consistency and reliability thanks to it’s stricter rules. This means less room for error and a high-quality output.</p>

Endless benefits

<p>Since we’ve started working with Payload, we’ve seen countless benefits. From its customisation and flexibility through to its integrations and security, we’re loving developing and building with it. If you want to take a look at an example of a site we’ve built using Payload, head over to <a href="https://www.harwin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the Harwin site we built</a>. In contrast, our own website is also built with Payload. It’s much smaller than the Harwin website, but still offers the same Payload perks that we love. This is a great example of how scalable and flexible Payload is, and how adaptable it is depending on the size of the site.</p><p>We’re really looking forward to seeing what more we can do with Payload in the future and how we can pass on the benefits to our clients. If you’re looking for a website rebuild, give us a shout to arrange a consultation.</p>

Moving forward with Payload

Have a read of some of our other articles

Why we’ve swapped WordPress for Payload

<p>Custom software allows businesses to create solutions specifically designed to meet their unique requirements. Whether it's building bespoke mobile apps, custom software systems, or integrating existing systems like Salesforce and Sage, the focus is on delivering solutions that are aligned with the organisation's processes and objectives. Creating this tailored approach allow users to interact with software that has been carefully crafted to cater to their needs.</p>

Tailored Solutions for Unique Needs

<p>By investing in custom software, businesses can streamline their internal processes and improve overall efficiency. At Si digital we’ve helped companies like <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/hasbro">Hasbro</a>, <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/wightlink">Wightlink</a>, and <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/harwin">Harwin</a> improve efficiency and performance through custom software solutions. Custom software development ensures that businesses have the tools and systems in place to operate effectively, resulting in smoother workflows and an enhanced user experience.</p>

Streamlined Processes & Efficiency

<p>Wouldn’t it be great if within your business you had the flexibility to integrate with existing systems? Custom software offers exactly that. The integration ensures that businesses can leverage their current systems whilst increasing the functionality to fit unique business needs. Custom software solutions are not only designed for scalability but also consider the sustainability of businesses by optimising on current systems.</p>

Integration & Scalability

<p>At Si digital, we believe that well-thought-out design is essential for enhancing user experience. Our development skills are complemented by a focus on UX and UI design, ensuring that the end-user finds the software visually engaging and intuitive. Our custom software development services are aimed at creating solutions that not only function effectively but also provide a visually appealing and user-friendly experience.</p><p>By recognising the value of custom software in enhancing UX and customer satisfaction, businesses can leverage tailored solutions to create meaningful and engaging experiences for their users, ultimately driving success and growth.</p>

Clever Development Skills & Thoughtful Design

<p>If you’d like to book in a consultation with us, feel free to submit a <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">form</a> to get in touch. At Si digital, we are committed to finding elegant solutions to complex technical problems, ensuring that our clients achieve their UX and customer satisfaction goals.</p>

What is technical debt and how can it be solved?

Understanding Technical Debt

Implications of Technical Debt

Tackling Technical Debt

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