Technology and product balance

When it comes to execution it is important to remember technology projects usually do not match product features.

For example. Let’s say you want to create a rail connection between Chicago and New York, and New York with Philadelphia. Each connection is a separate project. That’s what business needs. Let’s call them Pj.

To build those roads you need to have technical means to accomplish them: asphalt factory, gravel, heavy equipment, and teams which put all these components together. Let’s call them Ti.

The way you build and ship software, integrate pre-built systems, verify, train operators, and secure your services – are like technical means in the example above. They define your “factory”. The goal of the technology strategy is to gradually restructure, expand and recognize these abilities to handle projects of corresponding business roadmap.

Classic trilogy “The Financier” by T. Dreiser depicts how mass transit system emerges from a need to connect a few blocks in different places of the city by two-three station segments. The system progresses, and interval operators form transit lines. The lines form colors (line groups) under common management. Then the city’s mass transit system emerges from all these three-station segments. Initial buildout of transportation intervals was independent. Lack of coordination creates the burden of managing different standards later when the merged system forms. It naturally takes time to transform merged system into one united one. For many modern cities centuries later, the issues are still there. Standardization often happens via issuing considerable municipal debt to manage transition: unifying width between tracks, height of platforms, shifting to the same cars to optimize maintenance, introduce team training etc.

Startups are similar, though like later stage mass transportation systems they can and should be guided by an accumulated knowledge. This allows for reduction of time during onboarding, operations, and duplicative R&D. Hence, directing time and resources from would happen technical debt to addressing unique challenges each startup has. Together with that, when time to market is decisive – technological debt is justifiable.

Constant collaboration of what’s behind product corner drives interest to enrichment of your technology toolbox, and as toolbox becomes richer – more challenging product items could be included to business roadmap.