Pay down debt as you go.
Upgrades, refactoring and infrastructure work compete with features for space. Make the case in terms the Product Owner can weigh.
Tie it to value
Say Why
“So customers get security fixes within days, not months.”
Business terms, not technical ones.
Keep it visible
Same Backlog
Technical items in the main backlog, ordered with everything else.
Hidden work never gets prioritised.
Budget for it
Every Sprint
A steady share of capacity, or built into each story.
Small and constant beats big and rare.
Explain the why. Keep it visible. Pay as you go.