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← Module 03: Technology and build decisions MODULE 03 · TECHNOLOGY AND BUILD DECISIONS · 35 MINUTES

Technology and build decisions

Present slides Full screen, one slide at a time · 5 slides
THINK LIKE A CTO · MODULE 03 · TECHNOLOGY 01

How a CTO chooses technology

  1. FITDoes it suit this product’s priorities and workload?
  2. PEOPLECan we hire for it, and does the team already know it?
  3. MATURITYIs it proven, supported and well documented?
  4. COSTLicences, hosting and the time it takes to run it
  5. EXITWhat would it cost to leave if we had to?

Boring technology is a feature. Spend your innovation on the product, not the plumbing.

THINK LIKE A CTO · MODULE 03 · BUILD OR BUY 02

Build versus buy

Build it when

  • It is what makes your product different
  • Nothing on the market fits without contortions
  • You can afford to own it for years

Buy or rent it when

  • Every product needs it: sign-in, payments, email, search
  • Getting it wrong is dangerous: card data, identity, security
  • A provider does it better and cheaper than your team could

Build your core; buy your context. Then know your exit cost for everything you buy.

THINK LIKE A CTO · MODULE 03 · TRADE-OFFS 03

Lock-in and technical debt

  1. VENDOR LOCK-INThe cost of leaving a provider: data, code and contracts tied to them
  2. DELIBERATE DEBTA shortcut taken knowingly, to learn faster, with a plan to repay it
  3. ACCIDENTAL DEBTMess that builds up because nobody noticed or owned it
  4. AI-GENERATED DEBTCode that works but nobody on the team fully understands

Debt and lock-in are not failures. Untracked debt and unpriced lock-in are.

THINK LIKE A CTO · MODULE 03 · LIVE DEMO 04

Live demo: a technology decision matrix

Prompt for your Virtual CTO
Continue as my Virtual CTO. For TutorDesk, compare three realistic options for each of: web framework, database and hosting. Score each option from 1 to 5 against these weighted criteria: fit for our five technical priorities (weight 3), team skills and hiring (weight 2), maturity and support (weight 2), running cost (weight 2) and exit cost (weight 1). Show the result as a table with the weighted totals. Then list which capabilities we should build and which we should buy, with the exit cost of each thing we buy. Give costs as ranges with assumptions, say how confident you are in each score, and tell me which scores I should check with a qualified engineer.

Check the response

  • Every score has a one-line reason, not just a number
  • Costs are ranges, with the assumptions stated
  • It says where it is unsure and what to verify
  • Build-versus-buy names an exit cost for each thing bought

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