How do you define a technology strategy?

Question

Accepted Answer

A **technology strategy** is a coherent set of choices about how technology will help the business win. It is not a list of tools; it is a story that connects business goals to technical bets, and it explicitly says what you will *not* do.

## How to think about it

```text
A TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY ANSWERS:
1. Where is the business going? (goals, market, customers)
2. What technical capabilities must we have to get there?
3. What are our key bets? (platforms, architecture, build-vs-buy)
4. What will we deliberately NOT invest in?
5. How do we sequence it over time?
```

Start from the **business strategy**, not from technology trends. Technology is a means, not an end.

## Concrete example

A fintech aiming to expand internationally derives a strategy of multi-region infrastructure, a strong compliance platform, and buying (not building) KYC services so engineering can focus on the differentiating payments engine.

## Trade-offs and pitfalls

- **Pitfall:** chasing trendy technology with no link to business value.
- **Pitfall:** a strategy so vague it cannot guide real decisions.
- A good strategy makes trade-offs explicit; saying yes to everything is not a strategy.

## Why it matters

Without strategy, engineering effort scatters across local optimizations that do not add up.

A clear technology strategy aligns hundreds of decisions toward the same goal, lets teams say no to distractions, and turns technology into leverage for the business rather than a cost center.