Tech stacks underpin businesses and projects; there are sometimes called a “data eco-system” that is used to support and progress a digital product, mobile app, or company network. Since the product uses technological architecture as a foundation, the tech stack is a crucial element.
In this article, we look at the importance of a tech stack to the success of a project and the factors to consider when choosing a tech stack and a development team. In most cases, it’s better to hire a team of experts before you invest in the technology needed for the project.
Types of Tech Stack
Whether you’re in the start-up phase of your business or you are reviewing your framework, chances are you will encounter technology stacks. Also known as tech stacks, these are combinations of software and tools used to run your applications and processes successfully.
A tech stack can be thought of as the structural integrity of your business; it’s like the girders. There’s nothing to stop you from putting together your own stack, but there are also pre-made stack types to choose from. These include the MEAN, MERN, MERV, LAMP stacks, and others.
Factors to Consider
Having so many stacks available can be confusing; on the other hand, it makes choosing one a lot easier, and you encounter fewer inefficiencies due to trial and error onboarding. Still, you need to have some idea of what to look for in a tech stack that’s been pre-arranged for projects.
Some of the factors to consider include the type of project or projects you run most often. For instance, if you have a lot of cloud hosting projects, you are better off with a MEAN stack because it has a Java protocol. The LAMP stack is best for running open-source systems.
Project Type
If you are creating a digital product like an app or a web-based product, you need to consider your tech stack carefully. Tech stacks can determine the success and scalability of a project based on the software and applications used to run it. So, think carefully about project goals.
Alternatively, your tech stack might be used for running internal systems such as cloud-based services and company networks. In this case, you might require a more comprehensive tech stack, or you might be better off with professional it infrastructure management like an MSP.
Team Knowledge
When choosing the right tech stack for your business, you need to understand the skills and expertise of your employees. There’s no point in onboarding a tech stack underpinned by Javascript when your team has more knowledge of Angular, WMAP, PHP, or something else.
As you can probably tell, this is a critical factor to consider since it determines the long-term success of your business. Choose the right applications, and you accelerate your business, creating reliable revenue for years to come; choose the wrong one and set back your business.
Time to Market
Time to market is critical to a successful product launch, get the timing right, and you hit the market when it’s ripe, get it wrong, and you could lose out regardless of the viability of the product and the work you put into it. Again, the correct tech stack is key to a successful launch.
For a successful product launch, you need two things, you need an expert developer who can meet the deadlines and also work out any bugs efficiently, and you need the right tech stack for the project and the developer. Discuss these factors with your development team early on.
Scalability
Hopefully, your digital product or app is successful and starts to grow. There are two ways an app like this can grow, vertically or horizontally. Of course, there are factors to consider and many variables that can take your project in unexpected directions; but plan for scalability.
The tech stack you decide on will determine whether your product will grow or can grow in the direction you want. Work out your growth goals before deciding on a tech stack and continue to review them after the product launch. Having a growth plan is the smart way to secure success.
Maintenance
No app or digital product is perfect; it will require maintenance from time to time. The products will also need to be modified and updated from time to time for both scalability and usability. Choose a tech stack that supports easy modifications with short coding that can be reused.
Talk to your developers and gather data on the best coding to your for your project. The software architecture you decide on will determine the scalability and reusability of the product. Creating a software product that delivers value for years to come will require frequent updates.
Talent Availability
As you can see, matching your tech stack with the skills and expertise of your development team is paramount to the success of your project. But which comes first, the tech stack or the development team? Arguably, it’s better to have the experts in place to make the tech choices.
It can be hard to find good developers for in-demand software, so be patient and make the right choices. Consider the goals and aspirations of your project and make shrewd decisions when hiring your development team. When you have the right people in place, choose a tech stack.
Choosing the Wrong Tech Stack
If you choose the tech stack before you hire developers, you run the risk of incompatible expertise learning to delays and losses. As well as being expensive, developers working with incompatible tech stacks are less likely to fix bugs and develop the project to the point of a successful launch. In short, choosing the wrong tech stack is a fundamental project error.
Final Thoughts
When choosing a tech stack for a new project, there are two things to consider, the project and the developer. It’s a sensible idea to work out the nature of the project and the project goals, then hire developers up to the task. When you have the right developers in place, they can determine the best tech stack to work with, one that also aligns with the project aspirations.
