Comment by 6510

I only do small solo projects but the value from maintainable code depends on how often it needs to be updated.

If management comes with new [crazy] ideas and/or feature [cruft] every other week it should be easy to prefer a warehouse with ready to use components over a scrap yard. If you need a set of usable tires a few times per year the scrap yard will provide. If you need a set of tires 20 times per day you want at least 200 sets of each kind stored in a convenient place. You probably live some place in between.

edit: Also, timing is everything. Write down everything you want, add the pony. Wait for the right moment when their head is not raging with 50 deadlines.

Most important imho is to not want anything but explain what options they have. If they want faster results they might be able to get them by attacking the technical debt.