5 Prompts That Translate Tech Debt Into Business Language

These prompts translate engineering pain into business clarity and get executives buy-in.

Technical debt is easy to feel but, sometimes, hard to explain.

It slows your team down.
It creates hidden costs.
It messes with your delivery timelines.

But when you try to explain it outside the tech bubble, in an executive meeting or a budget review, you can almost see the conversation fall apart.

We can spend a whole congress saying that if your executives don’t understand tech debt, the problem is the company’s leadership alignment with technology. But, no… This is not the point.

It’s not because leaders don’t care.

It’s because the way we talk about technical debt often doesn’t match how they make decisions.

We say “refactor” when they need “reduce risk.”

We say “code quality” when they need “protect margin.”

So I started writing prompts. Prompts that push me to explain tech debt like a product delay. Like a missed quarter. Like a customer loss. Not like a code problem.

That’s what I’m sharing below. Five prompts I’ve refined, rewritten, and tested until they helped me explain technical debt in a way that actually moved things forward.

But before you use them, there’s something we need to talk about.

Don’t Feed AI What You Can’t Afford to Lose

I’m serious.

These prompts are useful. They’re sharp. But none of that matters if you drop something confidential into an AI tool and trigger a problem your company wasn’t ready for.

And yes, this still happens more than people admit.

So before anything else, ask yourself: Do you actually know your company’s AI policy?

Some companies are fine with you using ChatGPT or similar tools for general writing.

Others allow it only through internal, secure setups.

A few will fire you if you paste anything client-related, financial, or sensitive into an external tool, even by accident.

Don’t just skim your IT guidelines. Read them.

If you’re unsure, ask. You don’t want to be the reason your team has to write a “lessons learned” slide for legal.

If you’re working with real data, remove names, remove numbers, and always write like what you enter could be shown to the wrong person by mistake.

Because that’s what a data leak feels like. And you only feel it once.

So yes, use these prompts.

But use your brain first, okay? 😉

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1. Reframe Technical Debt as a Strategic Business Tradeoff

(Ideal for budget justifications, meeting decks, or executive updates)

I’m preparing a business case to explain a piece of technical debt to non-technical stakeholders. I want to translate it from engineering language into a clear, compelling message that communicates its real business impact, without jargon.

Context:
What is the technical debt
[HUMAN INPUT]

Where this debt currently hurts us (delivery speed, quality, team capacity, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Which strategic business initiatives does this affect or delay (product launches, market expansion, cost-saving programs, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What the business consequence is if this debt remains untouched for 6–12 months (lost revenue, missed deadlines, compounding risk, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What I’m asking for (budget, headcount, priority, decision support):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Who the audience is (choose one: CFO, CTO, CPO, CEO, VP of Product, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Write a concise, executive-facing summary (no more than 200 words) suitable for use in a briefing slide, email to leadership, or steering committee doc. 

The message should:
 - Frame the debt as a clear tradeoff between short-term cost and long-term business risk
 - Avoid technical terms and internal team language
 - Emphasize what’s at stake for the company (money, time, trust, growth)
 - Lead to a specific decision or approval based on the context above
 - Match the tone appropriate for the selected audience’s role

At the end, include a 1-sentence call to action that clearly frames the decision they’re being asked to make.

Expected Output: 
A fully-formed, business-ready paragraph that reframes tech debt in strategic terms, increases urgency, and is crafted to get support, not silence.

2. Quantify Technical Debt as Financial Loss (to Justify Investment)

(Ideal for business cases, roadmap tradeoffs, and budget review meetings)

I’m preparing a business case to explain a piece of technical debt to non-technical stakeholders. I want to translate it from engineering language into a clear, compelling message that communicates its real business impact, without jargon.

Context:
What is the technical debt
[HUMAN INPUT]

Where this debt currently hurts us (delivery speed, quality, team capacity, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Which strategic business initiatives does this affect or delay (product launches, market expansion, cost-saving programs, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What the business consequence is if this debt remains untouched for 6–12 months (lost revenue, missed deadlines, compounding risk, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What I’m asking for (budget, headcount, priority, decision support):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Who the audience is (choose one: CFO, CTO, CPO, CEO, VP of Product, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Write a concise, executive-facing summary (no more than 200 words) suitable for use in a briefing slide, email to leadership, or steering committee doc. 

The message should:
 - Frame the debt as a clear tradeoff between short-term cost and long-term business risk
 - Avoid technical terms and internal team language
 - Emphasize what’s at stake for the company (money, time, trust, growth)
 - Lead to a specific decision or approval based on the context above
 - Match the tone appropriate for the selected audience’s role

At the end, include a 1-sentence call to action that clearly frames the decision they’re being asked to make.

Expected Output: 
A fully-formed, business-ready paragraph that reframes tech debt in strategic terms, increases urgency, and is crafted to get support, not silence.

3. Write an Executive Briefing That Justifies Tech Debt Investment

(Ideal for stakeholder emails, internal decks, roadmap discussions, or planning reviews)

I need to write a clear, executive-facing summary that explains why we should invest time or budget in resolving a specific area of technical debt. This will be shared with leadership stakeholders who are not technical but need to approve or support the decision.

Context:
What the technical debt is (1–2 sentences, plain English):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Why this debt exists (e.g., legacy code, tech shortcuts, poor architecture decisions, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

How it currently impacts the business or delivery (e.g., slower time-to-market, higher bug rate, difficult onboarding, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What business goals this slows down or puts at risk (product launches, cost reduction, customer satisfaction, market expansion, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What you are asking for (budget amount, timeline relief, headcount, deprioritization of another initiative, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Who your audience is (choose one: CFO, VP of Product, CTO, COO, Head of Strategy, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Write a persuasive one-page summary (around 250 words) with this structure:
- Opening paragraph: Define the debt and explain why it’s now a strategic priority.
- Impact section: List 2–3 bullets that connect this debt to real business risks, inefficiencies, or delays. Use simple language.
- Urgency framing: Explain why this should be addressed now and what it unlocks if resolved.
- Specific ask: Describe what decision, funding, or support is needed.
- Tone: Businesslike, clear, outcome-focused, suitable for execs scanning updates for decisions.

Include no jargon, no engineering language, and no “tech debt” label unless you also explain it. Frame the issue as a strategic constraint, not a technical gripe.

Expected Output:
An executive brief that turns invisible technical inefficiencies into visible, business-relevant risks, and creates the conditions for action or investment.

4. Build a Business Case Comparing “Fix Now” vs “Fix Later”

(Ideal for roadmap prioritization, sprint planning, or cross-functional negotiations)

Include no jargon, no engineering language, and no “tech debt” label unless you also explain it. Frame the issue as a strategic constraint, not a technical gripe.

Context:
Briefly describe the technical debt (1–2 sentences):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Estimated effort to fix it now (e.g., in hours, story points, or sprints):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Known or likely impacts if we delay this by 6–12 months (e.g., increased support load, velocity degradation, customer complaints, delivery risk):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Which initiatives, teams, or features depend on this area:
[HUMAN INPUT]

What the total cost of fixing it later could include (e.g., expedited bug-fixing, unplanned incidents, rework, reputational damage):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What you want leadership to decide (e.g., approve the fix now, defer until Q3, escalate priority):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Who your audience is (choose one: CTO, VP Product, COO, CFO, Engineering Director, Strategy Lead):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Create a concise business comparison that includes:
- A short introduction framing the decision
- A table or side-by-side layout showing:
- Fix Now: cost, timeline, upside
- Fix Later: short-term gain, long-term risks, potential hidden costs
- A recommendation paragraph that states your case clearly
- Tone and structure appropriate for the selected stakeholder
- No engineering language. Use business terms like risk, cost of delay, resource waste, or opportunity loss

Keep the total output under 300 words. The output should be ready to copy into a roadmap doc, steering deck, or exec email.

Expected Output:
A practical, high-leverage decision document that transforms technical tradeoffs into clear business alternatives, and nudges leadership toward smarter investment timing.

5. Create Non-Technical Talking Points That Get Leadership Buy-In

(Ideal for steering committees, exec check-ins, stakeholder syncs, and roadmap reviews)

I need to present a piece of technical debt to a non-technical audience,  executives, cross-functional stakeholders, or business leads. My goal is to get support without diving into code or architecture.

These talking points must frame the issue in business terms, highlight what’s at risk, and make the case for investment or attention, without using engineering jargon.

Context:
What the technical debt is (brief, no jargon):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Why it matters right now (e.g. slowing velocity, blocking roadmap item, increasing incident risk):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What specific business outcome is being delayed, compromised, or put at risk:
[HUMAN INPUT]

What I’m asking for (e.g. reallocation, budget, decision, escalation):
[HUMAN INPUT]

What kind of forum this is (choose one: steering meeting, stakeholder update, roadmap review, planning session):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Who’s in the room (choose key audience types: CFO, CPO, COO, VP Eng, Legal, Product Ops, etc.):
[HUMAN INPUT]

Generate 3–5 sharp talking points that:
- Avoid technical terms entirely
- Frame the issue as a business risk, delay, or strategic constraint
- Are each max 1–2 sentences (designed to be spoken aloud or copied to a slide)
- Use phrases that resonate with leadership: time loss, delivery impact, avoidable cost, risk exposure, tradeoffs
- End with one sentence that clearly frames the decision or action you’re asking for

Expected Output:
A tight set of leadership-ready talking points that drive action, simplify complexity, and protect your priorities, ready for high-stakes conversations where clarity wins.

These Prompts Are About Thinking Sharper.

I wrote them to help me think clearly, ask better questions, and explain what matters in a way decision-makers will actually understand.

Each one was built for a real leadership scenario:

• Justifying a roadmap tradeoff

• Explaining a hard technical call in business terms

• Asking for investment in refactoring or re-architecture

• Getting ahead of problems that will eventually block revenue

If you’re a digital leader or product owner trying to get your message across and tired of being ignored, these prompts give you a start.

But, please, please, please…

Brain first, brain second… AI third.

You still have to think.

If you can’t answer the inputs, you’re not ready to send the update.

If you want AI to challenge how you interact with the robot, you can try these before starting with the prompts above: