Tech Radar: A Strategic Framework for Technology Evaluation
A Tech Radar is a visual and strategic framework used to capture, evaluate, and communicate the evolving landscape of technologies within an organisation. It supports continuous technology assessment and fosters a deliberate, transparent approach to innovation and adoption.
Radar Rings
The radar is typically divided into four rings, each indicating the recommended level of adoption:
- Adopt – Technologies that are stable, well understood, and have delivered value in real-world use. These are strongly recommended for broad implementation.
- Trial – Technologies that are mature enough for controlled use in projects. These should be explored more widely, especially in domains where they offer clear benefits.
- Assess – Technologies that are promising but unproven or unfamiliar. These warrant research, proof-of-concept work, or limited pilots to evaluate their potential.
- Hold – Technologies that are not recommended for new development efforts. These may be obsolete, misaligned with strategic goals, or have shown significant limitations.
Radar Quadrants
The radar is further divided into quadrants, which typically represent categories such as:
- Techniques – Processes or methods, e.g., Continuous Delivery or Chaos Engineering.
- Tools – Software applications or libraries used in development and operations.
- Platforms – Foundational technologies such as cloud providers, container orchestrators, or operating systems.
- Languages & Frameworks – Programming languages, frameworks, or SDKs used to build applications.
Benefits
By periodically reviewing and updating the Tech Radar, organisations maintain a living document that reflects real-world usage, lessons learned, and strategic intent. Key benefits include:
- Encouraging knowledge sharing across teams
- Reducing redundant evaluations
- Providing a coherent picture of the technology landscape
- Supporting a culture of deliberate innovation
- Helping manage technical risk
- Enabling alignment across engineering and product functions