tech-radar-update

name	tech-radar-update
enabled	true
description	Use when performing tech radar update — guides the process of creating or updating a technology radar that tracks the adoption status of technologies, tools, frameworks, and practices across the organization. Covers technology assessment, ring classification, team input collection, and communication of technology guidance.
required_connections	[{"prefix":"wiki","label":"Documentation Platform"}]
config_fields	[{"key":"organization_name","label":"Organization Name","required":true,"placeholder":"e.g., Acme Corp Engineering"},{"key":"radar_scope","label":"Radar Scope","required":true,"placeholder":"e.g., full stack, backend only, infrastructure"},{"key":"update_frequency","label":"Update Frequency","required":false,"placeholder":"e.g., quarterly, semi-annually"}]
features	["TEAM_PRODUCTIVITY","TECHNOLOGY","STRATEGY"]

Tech Radar Update

Phase 1: Input Collection

1. 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
2. Review industry trends and analyst reports
3. Collect feedback from architecture review board
4. 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

1. 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
2. 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

1. 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

1. 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
2. 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

1. 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
2. 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