Tech Forum

Within the Church ICS Department, we have a menu of technologies that are available to a team when working on a project. I call this menu the "technology buffet." Here is how the menu works.


There are three general categories that govern each of the product categories. Those general categories are as follows:
Contained

Items within this category are technologies that are currently in use at the Church but that we no longer wish to use to implement new solutions. We will continue to support these technologies as long as the products that depend on them are in use.

Strategic

Items within this category are technologies that teams can choose from when working on a new project. These products have gone through a vetting process to understand and ensure that the technology works well within our enterprise and for the solutions the team is working on.

Emerging

Items within this category are technologies that the Church is monitoring, but has not officially adopted. These are technologies that are just evolving. Some may have been around for a while but have not matured to the point of being used in an enterprise.


Within each of these general categories are product categories, such as "databases," "languages," and so forth. The following diagram will help identify how this works.



We are constantly adding to, removing, and editing items on this menu. Many times we see ways we can integrate new technology in ways we previously had not thought of, and that technology will find its way onto our technology menu. The technology menu is open for anyone to contribute to. Each new entry goes through the same vetting process until it is either disqualified or finds its way into one of the general categories.


This menu process helps us at the Church to serve our customers better and produce higher quality products.

Tom Welch
Technology Community Manager

This is very interesting. When I read your description I realized we could use something like this where I work. We all informally know what is old, stable, and being evaluated but it would be better to formalize it like this. I have some questions. You say that anyone can contribute but I assume there is an owner of the process. How do you manage this process? Who owns it and who has the final say?

All of this is making me hungry...:rolleyes:

tomw wrote:Within the Church ICS Department, we have a menu of technologies that are available to a team when working on a project.

What does ICS stand for?

Information and Communication Systems

Any chance we can see a snapshot of the menu as it stands today? It would be nice to have a look at what the church considers appropriate in each of menu categories.

epoulin wrote:Any chance we can see a snapshot of the menu as it stands today? It would be nice to have a look at what the church considers appropriate in each of menu categories.

bhofmann wrote:This is very interesting. When I read your description I realized we could use something like this where I work. We all informally know what is old, stable, and being evaluated but it would be better to formalize it like this. I have some questions. You say that anyone can contribute but I assume there is an owner of the process. How do you manage this process? Who owns it and who has the final say?

I have to agree here. This is really cool!

I might have to pass this on to my supervisor and see if we want to get something like this set up at my facility. There are tons of projects and products that are popping up all the time, and I don't think anybody really knows what all is going on in each department and where we are at on certain projects, and all that business. I'm seeing some potential here.

Thanks, Tom!

epoulin wrote:Any chance we can see a snapshot of the menu as it stands today? It would be nice to have a look at what the church considers appropriate in each of menu categories.

I'll have to ask for permission.

Tom