To move forward, systems need constant technical work: new languages, frameworks, infrastructure, and features. There’s only a limited amount of development time and energy that can go into improving these systems, and you’re accountable for making sure the team is placing its technical bets in the right places. You oversee these investments by matching the proposed technical projects and improvements to the future of the product or customer needs. Looking holistically across the portfolio of projects, you can see where the areas of greatest need or opportunity lie, and focus the team’s efforts accordingly.