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Technology Roadmaps & Sunset Plans

Manage technology lifecycle from adoption through deprecation with clear timelines and migration paths.

TL;DR​

Manage technology lifecycle from adoption through deprecation with clear timelines and migration paths. Success comes from making explicit decisions about: which technologies are approved, when they're being deprecated, when they become unsupported, and what migration path exists. Without this, you end up with 15 different JavaScript frameworks in production, no one knowing which are safe to use, and critical systems on abandoned dependencies. A good technology roadmap tells teams: "Use Node.js for new services, migrate Python 2.7 by Q4 2025, stop supporting Postgres 11 in 2026."

Learning Objectives​

  • Understand the purpose and scope of technology roadmaps & sunset plans
  • Learn practical implementation approaches and best practices
  • Recognize common pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Build sustainable processes that scale with your organization
  • Mentor others in applying these principles effectively
  • Classify technologies by adoption status (approved, in-trial, recommended, deprecated, unsupported)
  • Define clear timelines and migration paths
  • Communicate changes to minimize disruption
  • Balance standardization with team autonomy

Motivating Scenario​

Your organization faces a challenge that technology roadmaps & sunset plans directly addresses. Without clear processes and alignment, teams work in silos, making duplicate decisions or conflicting choices.

Real situation: Your company uses Node.js, Python 3.8, Java 11, Go 1.14, and Rust. That's already a lot. But when a new team starts, they ask: "What language should we use?" Without a roadmap, they pick whatever they're comfortable with. Now you have 6 languages and no one knows why.

Worse: You're running Python 2.7 in 3 critical services (unsupported since 2020), Node 10 in 2 others, Java 8 in legacy systems. No timeline to upgrade. When security vulnerabilities hit, what do you do?

Or: You standardized on PostgreSQL 10, but newer versions are much faster. You want to upgrade, but have 50 services using it. No clear plan. Upgrade is delayed indefinitely.

A technology roadmap solves this: "Use Node.js 20+ for new services. Upgrade existing Node 12 services by Q4 2025. Node 10 reaches unsupported status in Q1 2026; no new features, security patches only."

This section provides frameworks, templates, and practices to move forward with confidence and coherence.

Core Concepts​

Technology Lifecycle Stages​

Approved: Recommended for new projects and systems. Your organization supports it, provides tooling, has expertise.

  • Example: Node.js 20, Python 3.11, PostgreSQL 15

In Trial: Being evaluated for adoption. Some teams using it, but not yet standard. Feedback informing decision.

  • Example: Rust for systems programming (few teams, learning phase)

Stable/Mature: Currently in production, supported, but not recommended for new projects. No new features being built with this.

  • Example: Python 3.8 (works fine, but 3.11 is better)

Deprecated: Being phased out. Timelines exist for migration off this technology.

  • Example: Node.js 12 (end-of-life Sept 2022; deprecation announced 6 months prior)

Unsupported: No longer supported by your organization. Use only in emergencies; plan to migrate immediately.

  • Example: Python 2.7 (unsupported since 2020; should be completely gone)

Purpose and Value​

Technology Roadmaps & Sunset Plans matters because it creates clarity without creating bureaucracy. When processes are lightweight and transparent, teams understand what decisions matter and can move fast with safety.

Key Principles​

  1. Clarity: Make the "why" behind processes explicit
  2. Lightweight: Every process should create more value than it costs
  3. Transparency: Document criteria so teams know what to expect
  4. Evolution: Regularly review and refine based on experience
  5. Participation: Include affected teams in designing processes

Implementation Pattern​

Most successful implementations follow this pattern: understand current state, design minimal viable process, pilot with early adopters, gather feedback, refine, and scale.

Governance Without Bureaucracy​

The hard part is scaling without creating approval bottlenecks. This requires clear decision criteria, asynchronous review mechanisms, and truly delegating decisions to teams.

Practical Example​

# Technology Roadmaps & Sunset Plans - Implementation Roadmap

Week 1-2: Discovery & Design
  - Understand current pain points
  - Design minimal viable process
  - Identify early adopter teams
  - Create templates and documentation

Week 3-4: Pilot & Feedback
  - Run process with pilot teams
  - Gather feedback weekly
  - Make quick adjustments
  - Document lessons learned

Week 5-6: Refinement & Documentation
  - Incorporate feedback
  - Create training materials
  - Prepare communication plan
  - Build tools to support process

Week 7+: Scaling & Iteration
  - Roll out to all teams
  - Monitor adoption metrics
  - Gather feedback monthly
  - Continuously improve based on learning

Core Principles in Practice​

  1. Make the Why Clear: Teams will follow processes they understand the purpose of
  2. Delegate Authority: Push decisions down; keep strategy centralized
  3. Use Asynchronous Review: Documents and ADRs scale better than meetings
  4. Measure Impact: Track metrics that show whether process is working
  5. Iterate Quarterly: Regular review keeps processes relevant

Success Indicators​

✓ Teams proactively engage in the process ✓ 80%+ adoption without enforcement ✓ Clear reduction in the pain point the process addresses ✓ Minimal time overhead (less than 5% of team capacity) ✓ Positive feedback in retrospectives

Pitfalls to Avoid​

❌ Process theater: Requiring documentation no one reads ❌ Over-standardization: Same rules for all teams and all decisions ❌ Changing frequently: Processes need 3-6 months to stabilize ❌ Ignoring feedback: Refusing to adapt based on experience ❌ One-size-fits-all: Different teams need different process levels ❌ No documentation: Unwritten processes get inconsistently applied

This practice connects to:

  • Architecture Governance & Organization (overall structure)
  • Reliability & Resilience (ensuring systems stay healthy)
  • Documentation & ADRs (capturing decisions and rationale)
  • Team Structure & Communication (enabling effective collaboration)

Checklist: Before You Implement​

  • Clear problem statement: "This process solves [X]"
  • Stakeholder input: Teams that will use it helped design it
  • Minimal viable version: Start simple, add complexity only if needed
  • Success metrics: Define what "better" looks like
  • Communication plan: How will people learn about this?
  • Pilot plan: Early adopters to validate before scaling
  • Review schedule: When will we revisit and refine?

Self-Check​

  1. Can you explain the purpose of this process in one sentence? If not, it's too complex.
  2. Do 80% of teams engage without being forced? If not, reconsider its value.
  3. Have you measured the actual impact? Or are you assuming it works?
  4. When did you last gather feedback? If >3 months, do it now.

Example Technology Roadmap​

CATEGORY: Programming Languages

APPROVED (Use for new projects):
├── Node.js 20.x (added Sept 2023)
├── Python 3.11 (current standard)
├── Go 1.21 (approved for systems, CLI tools)
├── Java 21 (approved for backend services)
└── Rust (approved for performance-critical systems)

STABLE (Used in production, not for new projects):
├── Python 3.8 (stable but older; migrate to 3.11)
├── Node.js 18.x (still supported but 20 preferred)
└── Go 1.19 (works, but 1.21 has improvements)

DEPRECATED (Timeline for migration):
├── Node.js 16 (Deprecated Dec 2024, unsupported Jan 2026)
├── Python 3.9 (Deprecated Oct 2024, unsupported Oct 2025)
└── Java 11 (Deprecated Sept 2024, unsupported Sept 2026)

UNSUPPORTED (Migrate immediately):
├── Node.js 12 (unsupported April 2022 - GONE by end of 2025)
├── Python 2.7 (unsupported Jan 2020 - GONE NOW)
└── Go 1.15 (unsupported Aug 2021 - GONE by end of 2024)

CATEGORY: Databases

APPROVED:
├── PostgreSQL 15 (new projects)
├── MySQL 8.0 (if PostgreSQL not suitable)
└── DynamoDB (if serverless necessary)

STABLE:
├── PostgreSQL 13 (migrate to 15)
├── PostgreSQL 14 (migrate to 15)
├── MySQL 5.7 (EOL Aug 2023; migrate now)

DEPRECATED:
├── MongoDB 4.x (Deprecated Dec 2023, unsupported Dec 2024)
└── MySQL 5.7 (URGENT: already EOL)

UNSUPPORTED:
└── PostgreSQL 9.x (EOL Oct 2020 - remove)

Migration Timeline Example​

For deprecating Node.js 16:

Dec 2024: Announcement
├── Email to all teams
├── Blog post explaining why
├── Migration guide published
└── Timeline set: 12 months to migrate

Q1 2025: Early Action
├── Identify all Node 16 services
├── Estimate migration effort
├── Plan team sprints for migration
├── Training on Node 20 features

Q2-Q3 2025: Active Migration
├── Move 50% of services to Node 20
├── Share learnings with remaining teams
├── Identify and help blockers
└── Monthly progress updates

Q4 2025: Final Push
├── Migrate remaining services
├── Final deadline: December 31, 2025
├── Decommission Node 16 images
└── Update CI/CD to reject Node 16

Jan 2026: Support Ends
├── No new features on Node 16
├── Security patches only if critical
├── New services must use Node 20+

Communication Strategy​

Announcement: Explain the why (performance, security, tooling benefits). Tools: Provide migration guides, example PRs, training materials. Support: Dedicated Slack channel, office hours, help for stuck teams. Monitoring: Track migration progress. Celebrate milestones. Accountability: Include migration in team OKRs. Make it a priority, not optional. Flexibility: Some systems may have justified exceptions. Document and plan recovery.

Takeaway​

The best technology roadmaps are clear and honest about timelines. "Node 16 is deprecated as of Dec 2024, unsupported by Dec 2025" is better than vague "upgrade eventually." Teams plan accordingly. Surprises and last-minute crises decrease. Distribute the upgrade burden evenly rather than having a crisis when unsupported versions hit security issues.

Next Steps​

  1. Define the problem: What specifically are you trying to solve?
  2. Understand current state: How do teams work today?
  3. Design minimally: What's the smallest change that creates value?
  4. Pilot with volunteers: Find early adopters who see the value
  5. Gather feedback: Weekly for the first month, then monthly
  6. Refine and scale: Incorporate feedback and expand gradually

References​

  1. ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010: Systems and Software Engineering ↗️
  2. Martin Fowler: Architecture Decision Records ↗️
  3. Forsgren, Humble, Kim: Accelerate ↗️