Track debt paid down over time

Severity: Optional

Tracking resolution over time validates that allocation is working and provides visibility into whether debt is growing or shrinking.

Check automatically:

# Check closed debt items with dates
gh issue list --label "tech-debt" --state closed --json title,closedAt --limit 20 2>/dev/null

# Compare open vs closed counts
echo "Open:"
gh issue list --label "tech-debt" --state open --json title --limit 100 2>/dev/null | jq length
echo "Closed:"
gh issue list --label "tech-debt" --state closed --json title --limit 100 2>/dev/null | jq length

# Look for debt tracking/reporting docs
grep -riE "debt.*closed|resolved.*debt|paid down|debt.*trend|burndown" docs/ --include="*.md" 2>/dev/null

Ask user:

• "Can you see debt resolved over time?" (burndown, closed count, trend)
• "How do you know if you're making progress or falling behind?"
• "Is there a dashboard or periodic report?"

What tracking enables:

• Validate allocation is working (not just planned)
• Celebrate progress (team morale)
• Detect if debt is growing faster than resolved
• Justify continued investment to stakeholders

Pass criteria:

• Can query closed debt items with dates
• Some visibility into trend (growing vs shrinking)
• Team has a sense of whether they're gaining or losing ground

Fail criteria:

• No way to see what's been resolved
• Items just disappear without record
• No sense of trend ("we work on it but who knows if it's helping")

Cross-reference with:

• DEBT-001 (tracking requires a maintained list)
• DEBT-004 (tracking validates allocation is real)

Evidence to capture:

• Closed item count (last quarter, last year)
• Open vs closed ratio
• Whether trend is visible
• Any dashboard or reporting

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