Tech Radar Review Process

The SFT Tech Radar follows a structured, transparent process to ensure that technology decisions reflect the collective experience and needs of our engineering teams at Sanlam FinTech.

Review Cadence

The Tech Radar is reviewed on a quarterly cycle. Each quarter follows this timeline:

Week	Activity
Weeks 1–2	Proposal Window — Engineers submit ring change proposals via the repository. New technologies can be proposed for inclusion and existing entries can be proposed for ring changes.
Week 3	Discussion Period — Principal Engineers review all proposals. Authors present their case at the Engineering Community meeting. Open discussion and Q&A.
Week 4	Voting & Publication — Principal Engineers vote on each proposal. Approved changes are merged and the radar is republished.

Ring Change Proposals

A ring change proposal is the mechanism for updating the Tech Radar. Each proposal must include:

1. Technology name and a brief description
2. Current ring (or "New" if not yet on the radar)
3. Proposed ring and direction of movement
4. Rationale — why this change is warranted, supported by evidence from project usage, community trends, or technical evaluation
5. Impact assessment — which teams or systems would be affected

Decision Making

Decisions are made by the Principal Engineers through a consensus-based approach:

• Each proposal is discussed openly before a vote is held
• A simple majority is required to approve a ring change
• The proposing engineer is invited to present but does not hold a vote (unless they are a Principal Engineer)
• Rejected proposals receive written feedback and may be resubmitted in the following quarter with additional evidence

Emergency Changes

In exceptional circumstances — such as a critical security vulnerability in an ADOPT technology — an out-of-cycle review can be triggered by any Principal Engineer. Emergency proposals follow an accelerated 48-hour review and require a two-thirds majority to approve.