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Tech-selection playbook

How Phase 3 chooses a stack — default-first, in days not weeks. The gate card is the checklist; this is the method.

The method​

  1. Default to the golden path. Start from the radar adopt ring and the matching reference architecture. Deviating requires a stated reason — not the other way round.
  2. Map to a reference architecture — pick the shape (multi-tenant SaaS / API service / data pipeline) the product fits.
  3. Spike only the genuine unknowns — time-boxed, with a defined question and exit criterion. No open-ended evaluation.
  4. Evaluate against the criteria — fit, UK+India skills, and crucially agent-friendliness of the stack (how well agents build in it — measured on the golden-task harness where it matters).
  5. Record — the selection is an ADR; new components enter the radar and pass the intake gate; a stack playbook stub is created (filled during Build).

Why default-first​

Every bespoke stack choice is a tax the next squad pays. Defaulting to the golden path means tech-selection effort compounds — the second product on a stack inherits the first's playbook, gotchas and scaffold. Novelty is reserved for where it earns its cost.

Standards referenced: ThoughtWorks Tech Radar, ADRs, C4.