Click on a vector or play to reveal more info and interdependencies:
The Tech:Forward framework defines eight interdependent tech plays across three vectors.
Future-proof the foundation
Reinvent delivery
Reimagine role and strategy
Engineering excellence
Tech strategy
3
1
Establish practices and processes that enable teams to deliver and operate technology solutions better, faster, and cheaper, including agility, DevSecOps, site reliability engineering (SRE), and beyond
Strongest interdependencies
Engineering excellence
3
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities to build knowledge of engineering practices
4
A platform-oriented architecture that is decoupled to enable small teams to deliver in an agile fashion
5
Data capabilities allowing teams to consume data through secure API-driven approaches that decouple data from applications
7
Cybersecurity practices and controls that can be automated and embedded in the software-development life cycle
8
3
Engineering excellence
By reimagining the way that technology can enable a business’s strategy, leaders can determine how the IT function helps create value.
This vector is usually the starting point for a tech transformation, and it influences the approach to the other two vectors. Leaders will want to understand the current state of the IT function and envision its role in driving the business forward.
Reimagine role and strategy
Define a business-backed tech strategy, with clear value at stake and a well-defined view on how IT can unlock value
Strongest interdependencies
Tech strategy
1
1
Tech strategy
None, as this play is normally done independently and ideally before other plays
2
Modern organization and operating model
Organize teams around products and platforms, removing traditional functional and organization silos that are impediments to rapid technology delivery
Engineering excellence to enable product and platform teams to rapidly deliver value through small autonomous teams
3
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities to ensure the right talent (eg, product managers) are developed internally
4
A platform-oriented architecture to allow teams to build loosely coupled products and platforms and enable simple integration (eg, through APIs)
5
Strongest interdependencies
Modern organization and operating model
2
2
Modern organization and operating model
Reimagine role and strategy
4
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities
Develop an approach to at-scale talent attraction and reskilling, sourcing, and adaptable technology partnerships (eg, outcome-based approaches)
Modern organization and operating model tightly aligned to the talent strategy to ensure resources can work together in teams to deliver value
2
Strongest interdependencies
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities
4
4
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities
5
Platform-oriented architecture
Design modular, API-driven architecture for innovation and renewal of the core to implement next-gen capabilities, drive reuse and standardization, and reduce tech debt
Modern organization and operating model to ensure products and platforms have appropriate capacity and talent dedicated to them
2
Infrastructure, including cloud, on which the platform architectures are deployed
6
Data capabilities that allow programmatic and API-enabled access to data
7
Strongest interdependencies
Platform-oriented architecture
5
5
Platform-oriented architecture
6
Infrastructure, including cloud
Select infrastructure capabilities that support the technology organization, including cloud and core system migration and management, edge computing, infrastructure automation, and platform as a service (PaaS)
Engineering excellence to enable product and platform teams to rapidly deliver value through small autonomous teams
3
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities to ensure the right talent (eg, product managers) are developed internally
4
Cybersecurity practices to secure a globally distributed infrastructure footprint
8
Strongest interdependencies
Infrastructure, including cloud
6
6
Infrastructure, including cloud
7
Data capabilities
Unlock insights through data and analytics, including batch, real-time events and integration of external data with enterprise data, and enable AI/ML capabilities at scale through MLOps, enterprise data governance, data as a service, and self-serve capabilities
Modern organization and operating model to ensure products and platforms have appropriate capacity and talent dedicated to them
2
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities to build a talent base of data users and deep data experts
4
Infrastructure, including cloud, to build at-scale data platforms
6
Strongest interdependencies
Data capabilities
7
7
Data capabilities
8
Cybersecurity
Build seamless security so the organization can grow and transform with speed and scale
Engineering excellence to enable product and platform teams to rapidly deliver value through small autonomous teams
3
Talent, partnerships, and capabilities to ensure the right talent (eg, product managers) are developed internally
4
Data capabilities to enable granular control over enterprise data assets and support a mature governance approach
7
Strongest interdependencies
Cybersecurity
8
8
Cybersecurity
In this vector, leaders focus on the “how” of technology to build their technology delivery capabilities, focusing on people, processes, and technology.
This includes defining what skills and roles are needed, identifying ways to source talent, determining best engineering practices, and establishing the optimal operating model for technology and the business to work together to deliver value.
Reinvent delivery
Reinvent delivery
In this vector, leaders focus on building a flexible foundation that supports innovation and that can evolve as new use cases, technology paradigms, and practices emerge.
Technology transformation is not a one-and-done, and firms that succeed build an “evolutionary” architecture that supports the business as markets evolve.
Future-proof the foundation
Future-proof the foundation
