Strategic Technology Roadmap & Priorities
Executive Vision
Transform Awarded AI into a world-class AI-native engineering organization that balances innovation with disciplined execution.
Context Note: Achieving consistent architecture and process has been limited by engineering manager changes and team restructuring throughout 2024 and early 2025. This document represents the ideal state and path forward.
Strategic Pillars
Current State Assessment
Key Findings
- 40% time on reactive work (bugs, support)
- Only 5% on innovation and skill development
- Technical debt growing faster than resolution
- Manual processes consuming valuable engineering time
AI Development Tooling Strategy
Balanced AI Adoption Framework
AI Tool Implementation Guidelines
DO's
- Augment, don't replace human judgment
- Measure impact with concrete metrics
- Train teams on effective AI collaboration
- Review all AI output before production
- Use AI for boilerplate and repetitive tasks
DON'Ts
- Blindly trust AI-generated code
- Skip code reviews for AI output
- Use AI for security-critical code
- Replace understanding with generation
- Create "slop" - low-quality, high-volume code
Automation Roadmap
Automation Priority Matrix
Culture & Innovation Strategy
Building an Innovation Culture
Innovation vs. Delivery Balance
| Initiative | Time Allocation | Success Metrics | Guardrails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Product | 60% | Feature velocity, Quality | Sprint commitments |
| Tech Debt | 20% | Debt reduction rate | Not deferrable |
| Innovation | 15% | New capabilities, Patents | Must align to strategy |
| Learning | 5% | Certifications, Skills | Individual growth plans |
Technology Excellence Roadmap
Key Initiatives for Q2-Q3 2025
1. Developer Experience (DevEx) Excellence
Core Principle: Developer Experience is a critical competitive advantage. Happy, productive engineers build better products faster.
DevEx Investment Priorities:
- Reduce Friction: Every manual step is a productivity killer
- Empower Choice: Let engineers pick their tools (within reason)
- Measure Impact: Track time-to-first-commit, build times, deploy frequency
- Continuous Improvement: Weekly DevEx surveys and rapid iteration
2. Quality Engineering Transformation
| Phase | Focus Area | Tools | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Unit Testing | Jest, Vitest | 80% coverage |
| Phase 2 | Integration | Playwright, Cypress | E2E automation |
| Phase 3 | Performance | k6, Lighthouse | <100ms response |
| Phase 4 | Security | Snyk, OWASP | Zero vulnerabilities |
Strategic Shift: Moving from "test-only" mindset to "evals-and-observations-first" patterns for AI services. This includes:
- LangSmith integration for AI observability
- Human-in-the-loop evaluation systems
- Production behavior monitoring
- Continuous learning from real-world usage
3. LangGraph Platform Initiative
New Strategic Platform: LangGraph Platform represents a fundamental shift in our architecture that will:
- Simplify Architecture: Unified workflow orchestration for all AI services
- Unify Processes: Single pattern for building, testing, and deploying AI agents
- Improve DevEx: Dramatically reduce complexity for engineers building AI features
Implementation Timeline:
- Q2 2025: Platform evaluation and POC
- Q3 2025: Migration of first services
- Q4 2025: Full platform adoption
- Q1 2026: Legacy service retirement
4. AI-Augmented Development Standards
Success Metrics & KPIs
Risk Mitigation Strategy
Technology Risks
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Tool Overreliance | High | Medium | Mandatory code reviews, quality gates |
| Innovation Distraction | Medium | High | Time-boxed experiments, clear OKRs |
| Automation Failures | Low | High | Gradual rollout, rollback procedures |
| Skill Gaps | Medium | Medium | Continuous training, mentorship |
30-60-90 Day Plan for CTO
First 30 Days: Stabilize & Assess
- Complete platform stability audit
- Meet all team members 1:1
- Review technical debt inventory
- Establish emergency response procedures
- Quick wins implementation
First 60 Days: Optimize & Plan
- Launch developer productivity initiative
- Implement AI tool pilot program
- Define automation roadmap
- Establish innovation framework
- Set quarterly OKRs
First 90 Days: Transform & Scale
- Roll out new development standards
- Launch upskilling programs
- Implement quality gates
- Measure and report on KPIs
- Plan next quarter initiatives
Vision for Success
By Q4 2025, Awarded AI will be recognized as:
- Industry leader in AI-augmented development
- Top employer for innovative engineers
- Benchmark for quality and reliability
- Pioneer in government contractor tech
Remember: "We don't use AI to replace thinking, we use it to amplify our capabilities and focus on what matters most - delivering exceptional value to our customers."