Canon Technology Radar Methodology

This document describes how we maintain and update the Canon Technology Radar, including our decision-making process, review cycles, and governance.

Overview

The Canon Technology Radar is a living document that tracks our recommendations for tools, techniques, features, and data formats. It helps consumers understand what technologies to adopt, trial, assess, or avoid when building with Canon.

Radar Structure

Quadrants

Tools & Libraries - Third-party libraries, build tools, and development utilities
Techniques & Patterns - Architectural patterns, development practices, and type system techniques
Features & Capabilities - Runtime features, development features, and integration capabilities
Data Structures, Formats & Standards - Data structures, serialization formats, identity standards, and schema standards

Rings

Adopt - Strong recommendation. Proven, stable, and recommended for use
Trial - Evaluate for adoption. Worth exploring and evaluating for your context
Assess - Investigate further. Keep under review and assess for potential future use
Hold - Not recommended. Avoid or replace with better alternatives

Decision Criteria

Adopt

Proven track record in production
Strong community support and maintenance
Aligns with Canon's philosophy and goals
Provides clear value to consumers
Has been successfully used in Canon development

Trial

Shows promise but needs evaluation
Addresses specific needs not met by current tools
Has good TypeScript support (for libraries)
Reasonable bundle size impact
Active maintenance and community

Assess

Interesting but unproven
May address future needs
Requires further investigation
Potential risks or limitations need evaluation

Hold

Proven to be problematic
Superseded by better alternatives
Doesn't align with Canon's direction
High maintenance burden or complexity

Update Process

Regular Reviews

Quarterly Reviews (every 3 months)

Review all Trial entries for promotion/demotion
Evaluate Assess entries for potential promotion
Check Adopt entries for any issues or deprecations
Update justifications based on new information

Annual Reviews (every 12 months)

Comprehensive review of entire radar
Strategic alignment with Canon's roadmap
Major technology trend evaluation
Archive outdated entries

Ad-Hoc Updates

Immediate Updates

Security vulnerabilities in Adopt entries
Breaking changes in critical dependencies
New technologies that significantly impact Canon's mission

Monthly Updates

New library evaluations
Community feedback integration
Performance or compatibility issues

Governance

Decision Makers

Canon Maintainers - Final authority on radar entries
Community Contributors - Input and proposals
Consumer Feedback - Real-world usage experiences

Decision Process

Proposal - New entry or change request
Discussion - Community input and maintainer review
Evaluation - Testing and assessment period
Decision - ADR-style documentation of rationale
Implementation - Update radar data and documentation

Data Management

File Structure

radar/
├── data.yaml          # Human-editable radar data
├── data.csv           # Generated CSV for visualization tools
├── config.yaml        # Radar configuration and metadata
├── scripts/           # Conversion and management tools
└── README.md          # Radar directory documentation

Workflow

Edit - Modify data.yaml with new entries or changes
Convert - Run npm run build:radar to generate CSV
Review - Run npm run check:radar to validate changes before committing
Commit - Version control both YAML and CSV files
Visualize - Use generated CSV with build-your-own-radar tool

Automation

Validation - npm run check:radar to validate data structure and completeness
CI Integration - Automated testing of radar data format

Integration with ADRs

The radar methodology integrates with our Architecture Decision Record (ADR) process:

ADR-010 - Technology Radar Implementation
ADR-011 - Radar Data Format and Management
ADR-012 - Radar Governance and Update Process

Each major radar decision should be documented as an ADR, including:

Context and problem statement
Decision drivers and criteria
Considered options
Decision outcome and consequences
Implementation details

Quality Assurance

Data Validation

Structure Validation - Ensure proper YAML structure and required fields
Content Validation - Check for completeness and consistency
Link Validation - Verify external references and documentation
Format Validation - Ensure CSV generation works correctly

Review Checklist

[ ] Entry has clear, concise description
[ ] Justification aligns with Canon's philosophy
[ ] Ring placement is appropriate
[ ] Quadrant categorization is correct
[ ] New entries are marked appropriately
[ ] Links and references are valid

Communication

Internal Communication

Maintainer Discussions - Regular sync on radar direction
Community Input - GitHub issues and discussions
Consumer Feedback - Usage patterns and pain points

External Communication

Documentation - Clear explanations in radar entries
Blog Posts - Major radar updates and rationale
Conference Talks - Sharing methodology and insights
Community Engagement - Responding to questions and feedback

Metrics and Success

Key Metrics

Adoption Rate - How often Adopt entries are used
Trial Success - Promotion rate from Trial to Adopt
Consumer Satisfaction - Feedback on radar usefulness
Update Frequency - Regular maintenance and freshness

Success Criteria

Radar entries are actively used by consumers
Regular updates maintain relevance
Clear guidance helps with technology decisions
Community actively contributes to radar evolution

Future Considerations

Potential Enhancements

Automated Updates - Integration with package vulnerability databases
Usage Analytics - Track which radar entries are most referenced
Interactive Visualization - Enhanced radar visualization tools
API Integration - Programmatic access to radar data

Scalability

Entry Limits - Guidelines for managing radar size
Categorization - Refinement of quadrants as Canon evolves
Automation - Increased automation for routine updates
Governance - Scaling decision-making processes

Canon Technology Radar Methodology ​

Overview ​

Radar Structure ​

Quadrants ​

Rings ​

Decision Criteria ​

Adopt ​

Trial ​

Assess ​

Hold ​

Update Process ​

Regular Reviews ​

Ad-Hoc Updates ​

Governance ​

Decision Makers ​

Decision Process ​

Data Management ​

File Structure ​

Workflow ​

Automation ​

Integration with ADRs ​

Quality Assurance ​

Data Validation ​

Review Checklist ​

Communication ​

Internal Communication ​

External Communication ​

Metrics and Success ​

Key Metrics ​

Success Criteria ​

Future Considerations ​

Potential Enhancements ​

Scalability ​

References ​