The difficult teenage years: setting your tech strategy after the launch

When launching a new product to replace an old one, it’s easy to rally behind the mission and make good technical decisions. But once it’s launched, the vision is not so clear, corners cut to get the site live come back to bite, and things can very easily lose focus.

Based on my experience with the launch of two major sites (FT.com and GOV.UK) this talk is about how to bring things back on track.

• • Why is it so important to set a new vision after the launch

• • What a good tech strategy looks like and how to set one

• • Common challenges after the new product has launched

• • Handling gnarly code that has grown unchecked

• • Addressing new operational concerns

• • Tending a system that will live on, rather than be replaced again a few years down the line

• • Learnings a year on from setting the FT’s tech strategy