codebase-cleanup-tech-debt

Scan for duplicated code, high cyclomatic complexity above 10, god classes over 500 lines, circular dependencies, outdated dependencies, and test coverage gaps. Quantify each finding with metrics like duplication percentage, complexity scores, and untested critical paths.

Calculate the cost of each debt item in hours lost per month, then rank by ROI. Start with quick wins that are high value and low effort, schedule medium-term refactors over one to three months, and plan architectural initiatives quarterly.

Common metrics include cyclomatic complexity, code duplication percentage, unit and integration test coverage, outdated dependency counts, security vulnerabilities, and deployment failure rates. Track these over time to measure debt growth or reduction trends.

Enforce automated quality gates such as pre-commit complexity checks, minimum coverage thresholds for new code, and CI dependency audits. Combine these with a debt budget that caps monthly debt growth and mandates quarterly reduction targets.

Refactor when a class exceeds roughly 500 lines or 20 methods and changes frequently. Split it into focused services behind clear interfaces, add tests first, and use a facade or feature flags to migrate callers incrementally without breaking behavior.