How Do You Unify Your Digital Transformation Tech Stack?

The technologies we use at work are a lot like the gears in a clock; intricate, highly specialized, cogs that, on their own, don’t do much. But when working together in unison, they create something cohesive, useful, and productive.

Your tech stack, comprised of individual software, should be working in lockstep to further your business’s goals and help you grow. To achieve this, you need to determine whether a complete overhaul or just minor adjustments are required based on your current performance and objectives. With isolated, unintegrated, or orphaned solutions, what you have is a clock with misshapen, or nonfunctioning cogs; cogs that negatively impact the rest of the clock.

What is A Modern Tech Stack?

Your tech stack refers to all the different technology tools your organization uses to do business. Most people think of tools like their CRM and ERP systems when it comes to tech stacks, but the term covers a much broader spectrum than that. Your tech stack includes programs like Microsoft Office, Slack, Teams, G Suite and even your analytics tools are all common components of most companies’ modern tech stack.

The technology infrastructure that you rely on as a company is your tech stack, and ideally, every component of it should be working in unison, or at least serving a concrete, tangible function.

There is no “right tech stack” because every organization has different companies have different needs that vary depending on the businesses themselves; what solutions work for Company A may be entirely counterintuitive for Company B.

That being said, if you’re looking to start building a tech stack from scratch, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions: What do I need? How will this help my task organization? What can I outsource or automate? What are the costs of this technology?

Planning for the future and developing flexible strategies are essential to ensure that your tech stack remains relevant and effective as technology and market demands evolve.

Unifying your tech stack is a crucial step in your digital transformation, but it requires collaboration and a singular roadmap. It is also important to evaluate the technology stack ecosystem to determine the best fit for your specific business needs. Assess your unique requirements and the various tools available, ensuring that each component optimizes user experience and functionality.

What are Unified Tech Stacks?

What does it mean exactly to have a unified tech stack? If your tech stack is multiple pieces of software, a unified tech stack is when those disparate pieces of programming languages are interconnected in a way that supports your business and your processes.

One of the easiest ways this is accomplished is through actual integrations, or the physical linking of software into each other using the tools the programs give you directly for the development process. Integrating various software solutions can unlock their full potential and foster a more streamlined organizational framework. Every tool you use should be supporting one of the following feedback loops of your business.

DevOps combines software development and IT operations to enhance the efficiency of releasing applications and services. By employing DevOps tools, organizations can automate and streamline their processes, leading to faster and more reliable software delivery.

Employees

Your team is the beating heart of your business. The right tech stack will help them do their jobs to the absolute best of their abilities. Communication platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack are crucial in enhancing collaboration and productivity. Tools that speed up the more labor-intensive, humdrum parts of their roles, tools that let them focus on the more taxing responsibilities that help keep the value flowing for your business and your customers. Marketing automation tools, CRM, and ERP are among some of the most commonly used employee-centric technologies in popular modern tech stacks.

Customers

If there’s a business out there that denies the paramount importance of its customer base, it won’t be a business for long. Considering end users in the software development process is crucial to enhance user experience and ensure that software delivery meets their needs. Making the customer experience pleasant, easy, and accessible through technology stacks is a surefire way to increase customer retention and

Operations

If your employees are the heart of the business, ops are the muscle that makes sure everything gets done smoothly. Intelligent automation plays a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and improving operational tasks. Technology stacks can help automate mundane tasks like data entry and reporting, making it easier for operations staff to do what they do best – keep the business running smoothly.

Products

Products are the lifeblood of a business, and technology stacks can help make them better. Artificial intelligence plays a crucial role in improving user experience and simplifying product maintenance. From improving user experience to simplifying product maintenance and testing, savvy tech stack choices can ensure your products are robust, secure, and easy to use.

Identify Redundancies in Your Technology Stack

In most tech stacks, every solution has a purpose and a unique end goal toward serving the business, but anyone who knows anything about software or web development will tell you that, more often than not, you’ll find programs that have overlapping functionality. Of all the technology services at your disposal, which do you consider redundant?

Conducting thorough research to gather insights and information is crucial for identifying these redundancies effectively.

The key is to stop considering the technological aspect of it and move to consider the other tentpoles of your business: your people and processes.

Do the tools provide greater efficiency to your team? Do they increase productivity? Are they saving you time and money by improving the processes you adhere to? Do you have other tools that accomplish these tasks quicker, easier, or more efficiently?

Once you have identified the redundancies, it’s important to start trimming those services from your stack. This will enable more efficient use of resources dedicated to the right technology, which can then be used to build new features or improve existing ones. Doing so can ensure your tech stack is robust, secure, and easy to use.

A unified tech stack allows you to use your software tools in a cohesive, integrated manner. Everything serves a purpose, and every purpose is important.

Identify Redundancies Before You Unify Your Technology Stack

In most tech stacks, every solution has a purpose and a unique end goal toward serving the business, but anyone who knows anything about software or web development will tell you that, more often than not, you’ll find programs that have overlapping functionality. Of all the technology services at your disposal, which do you consider redundant?

The key is to stop considering the technological aspect of it and move to consider the other tentpoles of your business: your people and processes.

A chief technology officer plays a crucial role in leading the process of identifying redundancies and unifying the tech stack.

Do the tools provide greater efficiency to your team? Do they increase productivity? Are they saving you time and money by improving the processes you adhere to? Do you have other tools that accomplish these tasks quicker, easier, or more efficiently?

Once you have identified the redundancies, it’s important to start trimming those services off from your stack. This will enable more efficient use of resources dedicated to the right technology, which can then be used to build new features or improve existing ones. Doing so can ensure your tech stack is robust, secure, and easy to use.

Unify Your Tech Stack While Consolidating

Consolidating what could be as many as dozens of disparate pieces of software can seem like a hefty task, but it doesn’t have to be. The most important thing to remember that it is a process; pulling everything together does not happen overnight, you need to get there over time.

It is crucial to employ cost-effective solutions during this process to manage expenses efficiently while optimizing your tech stack.

Start with the ones causing the most friction. Of all the technologies, where are they going to be the most helpful? If your marketing and sales protocols are fantastic, but your lead transfer processes are lacking, fix those first, then focus on additional programs.

What About Integrating Legacy Systems With New Technology?

When making decisions about changing up your technology, it’s a common misconception that you have to get rid of everything you’re currently using. That’s not the case.

Revamping your tech stacks in a digital transformation isn’t about starting from zero. If a tool is working for your business, you should absolutely keep using it. “Older” does not necessarily mean “worse,” and “unify” does not mean “replace.”

Developing comprehensive strategies for integrating legacy systems with new technology is crucial to ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing efficiency.

Want to start unifying your tech stack? Why not give us a call and see how we can help? BrainSell’s expert consulting team has years of experience helping businesses like yours navigate digital transformations, including tech stack revamps. You can read more about the importance of your tech stack here or watch our recent webinar on the subject on YouTube for free.