3 simple steps to avoid a technology shipwreck
  • Karolina Coates, Head of Design at BoatyardX
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What do startup founders and enterprise technology leaders have in common? 
Nightmare stories about unintended consequences of technology decisions. 

Investing in an obscure tech stack as a result of poor advice, loss of IP, developing features that no one needs, spiralling costs of shipping new features, loss of business agility, difficulties hiring and retaining developers with specific technology expertise, staff working around the systems to get job done, we’ve heard them all.  
In a world where anything can be built, it seems that not only are possibilities endless but there’s also no limit to the ways in which technology decisions can go wrong. 
What is a technology leader to do? Focus on getting the fundamentals right, or as we like to frame it: make sure you’re building the right thing and that you’re building it right. 
Step 1: Bring the right people on board. 
Bringing the right partners on board is the obvious one. At BoatyardX we believe that a good partner is not the one who swoops and tells you all the ‘shoulds’ but the one who opens possibilities with ‘coulds’, based on experience and lessons learnt. The right partner will balance listening and talking. By using a collaborative approach, they will empower and support you in decision-making.  
 
Step 2: Set the course right: bridging business and technology, creating clear vision and product mindset. 

Technology issues are often the tip of the iceberg and upon closer inspection, we notice an underlying need for strategic alignment and a defined product roadmap. 

We all know this: just because you can build anything, doesn’t mean you should. The lesser-known fact is that business has a fundamental role to play in preventing technologists from making wrong decisions. 

No leader has a crystal ball, technology is here to give you just enough runway to meet the business goals. Nothing dilutes the value of software as much as conflicting priorities. Without top-level alignment on where you want to go as a company, clearly articulated direction and absolute clarity on what outcomes you want and in what order, technology teams will be pulled in multiple directions. It’s not a question of whether the development team will ship something – they will but its value will be limited at best, spanning a breadth of features but perhaps lacking in coherence or depth. 

Step 3: Course correct. 

Herein also lies a bit of comfort – let’s acknowledge that there is no such thing as perfect alignment and ideal answers. We can only make decisions based on our often imperfect understanding of the landscape as we see it. It is thus our responsibility to define the reality of the situation as best as we reasonably can and correct the course as required, as events unfold and the situation becomes clearer. 

A BoatyardX DiscoverX workshop can help to kick-start this process. By taking the broad and ‘just deep enough’ deep view of the ecosystem you operate in, we can surface the biggest technical risks and opportunities, and build confidence in charting your way forward. 

If you’d like to learn more, get in touch via letsgettowork@boatyardx.com 

Get in Contact 

If you have a new concept or existing product and are considering taking the next steps, we would love to discuss if a BoatyardX Discovery project can help you achieve your product vision. 

 

 

Reach out at  letsgettowork@boatyardx.com 

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Now spread across 6 locations, Cluj, Iasi, Brasov (Romania), Bogota (Colombia), Dublin (Ireland) and Chicago (US), the BoatyardX team currently exceeds 120 people and continues to grow.

With customers in North and South America, Europe and South-East Asia, the team spans the key working timezones.  Expertise is enhanced across the teams through establishing technical competency groups led by experienced leaders, charged with ensuring best practice and efficient learning across all the organisation.

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