If your technical solution isn’t aligned with your company’s business goals then it isn’t a solution.

Architects, software engineers, QA, DevOps – all of these roles want to be part of building great stuff – whether its applying design patterns, adopting the latest version of a new/emerging framework, or automating some part of a manual process. But if this work is done in a vacuum and isn’t directly aligned with solving a business problem, then it’s only done for technical reasons. As a technical leader, if you can’t explain to your counterparts in the business what business problem you’re solving, then you won’t succeed.

As a technology leader, I’ve led the development of many projects. Many of these were new and innovative products. A common mistake I made early on was to immediately jump to a solution without fully considering the impacts – both positive and negative – that would come with that solution. And more importantly, I wasn’t always prepared to answer the question, “How will this solve our problem?”

Over the years, I’ve learned a critical lesson: a technical solution, no matter how brilliant, is only as good as its alignment with business goals. When these two are in sync, great things happen — products are well-received, efficiency improves, costs drop, and teams thrive. Being able to clearly articulate how the solution solves the problem at hand ensures that both technical and non-technical folks understand what you’re building, and most importantly, why.

Consider Amazon for a moment. They have a process that they follow that was introduced to me a few years ago. When they start a new project, they don’t start with the technical stuff. Their process is called “Working Backwards” and involves writing a mock press release. It describes the end result – how the product will work, how it will be featured to customers – all before beginning work. It’s jargon-free, focuses on clarity and ensures that the idea resonates with stakeholders. This helps to ensure the team is aligned on the vision from the customer’s perspective.

Aligning tech with business goals isn’t just about avoiding missteps—it’s about creating value. It starts with asking the right questions: Whose problem are we trying to solve? What problem(s) are we solving? How does this support the bottom line? When I keep those front and center, I build solutions that don’t just work—they win.

What’s your take—how do you bridge the gap between tech and business?

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