What are we adopting, trialling and holding?

Questions CTOs ask

What are the four rings of a tech radar?

Adopt means proven in your context and the default choice for new work. Trial means worth pursuing on a real project where you can afford the risk. Assess means worth understanding and prototyping but not yet on production work. Hold means avoid for new work, whether because it is declining, was a poor fit, or you have standardised elsewhere. Hold does not mean rip it out of existing systems.

How often should a tech radar be updated?

Quarterly works for most organisations. More often and the ring moves are noise rather than signal; less often and it stops reflecting reality and people stop consulting it. The update meeting matters more than the artefact: it is a forcing function for engineers across teams to argue about direction and reach an explicit position.

Who should own the tech radar?

Ownership belongs to a cross-team group of senior engineers and architects rather than the CTO alone. A radar handed down from one person is read as a mandate and quietly ignored; one produced by the people who will live with the decisions carries real weight. The CTO's job is to convene it, break ties, and make sure Hold decisions actually get enforced in review.