Let’s explore the complexities of choosing and adopting new technical tools in your tech stack. We’ll discuss the importance of evaluating a tool's overall value, including its benefits, drawbacks, and long-term implications. We delve into the essential components of getting buy-in from your team, writing comprehensive Architecture Decision Records (ADRs), and the pros and cons of making versus buying tools. Additionally, we scrutinize the use of Terraform Automation and Collaboration Software (TACOS) and infrastructure wrappers like Terragrunt and Atmos, weighing their potential benefits against the added complexities they introduce.

Thoughtfully Critical is a weekly podcast created by Chris Wahl. You can find out more about Chris by reading his newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wahl Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Please subscribe and leave a review to help shape the conversation.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:02 Evaluating the True Value of a Tool

01:33 The Ripple Effect of Tool Adoption

02:09 Tool Sprawl and Its Impact

03:07 Building vs Buying Tools

04:31 Getting Team Buy in and Documentation

08:14 Exploring Terraform Automation and Collaboration Software

13:11 The Case Against Infrastructure Wrappers

14:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Links & Resources:

Reshape your AWS CloudFormation stacks seamlessly with stack refactoring on AWS Blog

Quote: " Tools should enable you to do your job better, not become the job itself."