| name | engineering-strategy |
| description | Engineering strategy and technical planning. Builds roadmaps (Now/Next/Later), technology radar, build-vs-buy analyses, and tech debt registers. Trigger when asked about roadmap planning, technology evaluation, build-vs-buy decisions, or tech debt prioritization. |
| user-invocable | true |
Engineering Strategy
Develop and maintain engineering strategy artifacts stored in strategy/engineering/.
Prerequisites
Before creating any artifact, read:
strategy/engineering/ for existing engineering docs
strategy/competitive/feature-matrix.md for feature gaps
strategy/business/ for business priorities
apps/www/src/content/docs/docs/architecture/ for public architecture documentation
specs/ for feature specifications and status
tasks/ for current backlog
Frameworks
Now/Next/Later Roadmap
Avoids false precision of timeline-based roadmaps. Now = committed work; Next = planned, dependencies identified; Later = important but unscheduled. Each item links to a business driver.
Technology Radar (ThoughtWorks-style)
Four quadrants (Techniques, Tools, Platforms, Languages/Frameworks) x four rings (Adopt, Trial, Assess, Hold). Include rationale and last-assessed date per entry.
Build vs Buy Decision Matrix
Weighted scoring on: strategic differentiation, time to value, maintenance burden, integration complexity, total cost (2yr), vendor risk. Include TCO comparison and reversibility assessment.
Tech Debt Register (Fowler Quadrant)
Categorize as Reckless/Prudent x Deliberate/Inadvertent. Track priority, location, impact, remediation approach, effort estimate, and business case.
Output Artifacts
Save to strategy/engineering/:
roadmap.md — Now/Next/Later with dependencies and business drivers
tech-radar.md — Technology assessments by quadrant and ring
tech-debt.md — Prioritized register with effort estimates
adr/NNN-[title].md — strategy-local architecture decision records; public architecture docs belong under apps/www/src/content/docs/docs/architecture/
Prioritization Criteria
When helping prioritize, consider: business impact, competitive necessity (table-stakes?), technical leverage (unlocks future work?), user demand (evidence from support/reviews), effort, and dependencies.
Quality Standards
- Link every roadmap item to a business driver
- Distinguish committed vs aspirational work
- Include effort estimates (even rough)
- Track decisions, not just outcomes (ADRs capture reasoning)
- Update, don't append — move completed items, don't let docs grow forever
- Include
Last Updated date and update trigger on every document