cloudthinker-ai Tech Radar Update
Phase 1: Input Collection
- Gather technology nominations from teams
- New technologies teams want to adopt
- Technologies teams have been experimenting with
- Technologies that should be reconsidered (deprecated, security concerns)
- Technologies teams want to standardize on
- Pain points with current technology choices
- Review industry trends and analyst reports
- Collect feedback from architecture review board
- Review incident reports for technology-related issues
Technology Nomination Form
| Technology | Category | Nominated By | Current Usage | Proposal | Justification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Languages/Frameworks/Tools/Platforms/Techniques | None/Trial/Some/Wide | Adopt/Trial/Assess/Hold |
Phase 2: Technology Assessment
- Evaluate each nominated technology
- Technical maturity and community support
- Fit with existing architecture and stack
- Learning curve and team expertise
- Security posture and vulnerability history
- License compatibility
- Performance characteristics
- Operational complexity
- Vendor lock-in risk
- Total cost of ownership
- Gather input from teams with experience
Assessment Criteria Matrix
| Technology | Maturity | Fit | Learning Curve | Security | License | Ops Complexity | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | OK/Risk | 1-5 | /30 |
Phase 3: Ring Classification
- Classify each technology into a ring
Ring Definitions
| Ring | Meaning | Guidance | Example Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adopt | Proven, recommended for broad use | Teams should use this | Mature, well-supported, team expertise exists |
| Trial | Worth pursuing, proven in limited use | Teams may use with architecture review | Promising, some production experience |
| Assess | Worth exploring, understand impact | Research and prototype only | Interesting, needs evaluation |
| Hold | Proceed with caution, do not start new | Existing uses OK, no new adoption | Deprecated, security concern, better alternative exists |
Phase 4: Radar Organization by Quadrant
Languages & Frameworks
| Technology | Previous Ring | Current Ring | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New/Moved/Unchanged |
Tools
| Technology | Previous Ring | Current Ring | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New/Moved/Unchanged |
Platforms & Infrastructure
| Technology | Previous Ring | Current Ring | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New/Moved/Unchanged |
Techniques & Practices
| Technology | Previous Ring | Current Ring | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New/Moved/Unchanged |
Phase 5: Documentation & Rationale
- Document each technology entry
- Brief description of the technology
- Why it is in its current ring
- What changed since last update (if applicable)
- Recommended alternatives (for Hold items)
- Links to internal experience reports or POC results
- Contact person or team for questions
- Write summary of key changes from previous radar
Key Changes Summary
| Change Type | Count | Notable Examples |
|---|---|---|
| New entries | ||
| Moved to Adopt | ||
| Moved to Hold | ||
| Removed |
Phase 6: Communication & Adoption
- Publish and communicate the updated radar
- Publish radar visualization (interactive if possible)
- Write blog post or newsletter summarizing changes
- Present at engineering all-hands or tech talk
- Update architecture decision records as needed
- Notify teams affected by Hold recommendations
- Plan migration support for Hold technologies
- Schedule next radar update cycle
Counter-Rationalizations
| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "We can skip some steps for this case" | Adapt the workflow steps, don't skip them | Skipped steps are where incidents and oversights originate |
| "The user seems to already know what to do" | Complete all workflow phases with the user | The workflow catches blind spots that experience alone misses |
| "This is a minor case, full process is overkill" | Scale the process down, don't turn it off | Minor cases become major when unstructured; the process scales, not disappears |
| "I'll fill in the details later" | Complete each section before moving on | Deferred details are forgotten; real-time capture is more accurate |
| "The template output isn't necessary" | Always produce the structured output format | Structured output enables comparison, audit trails, and handoff to other teams |
Output Format
- Tech Radar Visualization: Interactive radar with all quadrants and rings
- Technology Profiles: Detailed write-up per technology entry
- Change Summary: What moved and why since last update
- Migration Guides: Plans for technologies moved to Hold
- Next Review Date: Scheduled date for next update cycle
Action Items
- Collect technology nominations from all teams
- Assess each nomination against evaluation criteria
- Classify technologies into rings with architecture review board
- Document rationale for each classification
- Publish updated radar and communicate changes
- Create migration plans for newly Hold technologies
- Schedule next radar update cycle