What is a Technology Radar?
A Technology Radar is a visual tool that helps organizations assess and manage their technology portfolio. Originally popularized by ThoughtWorks, it provides a snapshot of a company's technology landscape, from languages and frameworks to tools and platforms. Its purpose is to encourage thoughtful discussion and strategic decision-making about which technologies to invest in, which to maintain, and which to retire.
Unlike a simple list, a radar organizes items by their adoption readiness, offering a forward-looking perspective on your tech stack. It's not about what's "hot" in the industry, but what's right for your organization's context and goals.
Core Concept
The Radar is a document that sets out the changes that we think are currently interesting in software development—things in motion that we think you should pay attention to and consider using in your projects.
The Structure of the Radar: Regions
The radar is divided into several concentric rings, or "regions." These regions represent the stages of the adoption lifecycle for a technology within your organization. StaxMap uses a flexible, ring-based model. While the names can be customized, they typically follow these concepts:
Adopt (or Today)
Technologies in this ring are proven and trusted. They are the standard choice for new projects and have strong internal support. You should be using these.
Trial (or Tomorrow)
Promising technologies that have shown potential. They are ready for wider, but still controlled, adoption on projects that can handle some risk.
Assess (or Recent Future)
Interesting technologies worth exploring. Teams should be actively building proofs-of-concept to understand their potential impact. Not yet ready for production.
Hold (or Distant Future)
Items that are no longer recommended for new development. This could be due to being superseded or being a poor fit. Plan for migration.
The movement of "blips" (the individual technology items) from the outer rings to the inner rings over time shows the progression of innovation and adoption within your organization.
How to Use a Technology Radar
Creating a radar is a collaborative process, not a top-down decree. It's most effective when it reflects the collective intelligence of your development teams.
Gather Candidates
Collect technology "blips" from across your teams. What tools are people using? What new frameworks are they excited about? What legacy systems are causing pain?
Facilitate Discussion
The most valuable part of the process is the conversation. A group of senior technologists should facilitate a meeting to discuss each candidate blip and decide where it belongs on the radar. Why should this be in Trial and not Assess? What are the risks? Who will champion it?
Publish and Share
Once created, the radar should be published and made accessible to everyone in the technology organization. It serves as a guide for developers, a communication tool for management, and a point of alignment for architects.
Iterate
A radar is a living document. It should be revisited and updated regularly (e.g., every 6-12 months) to reflect changes in the technology landscape and the organization's experience.
Benefits of Using a Radar
Strategic Alignment
Provides a shared vision for technology adoption across different teams.
Risk Management
Helps identify and manage risks associated with new, unproven technologies and legacy systems.
Knowledge Sharing
Encourages sharing of experiences and best practices across the organization.
Fosters Innovation
Creates a structured process for exploring and adopting new technologies.