By Okky Anggriawan ·
December 19, 2025
When a system breaks, the first instinct is often to blame technology.
The server was down. The code was buggy. The architecture didn’t scale.
In reality, most systems don’t fail because of technology.
They fail because the people around them were never aligned.
I’ve seen platforms with excellent engineering collapse under operational confusion.
I’ve also seen technically simple systems thrive because everyone understood why they existed.
Alignment means:
- Clear intent: what problem are we actually solving?
- Shared ownership: who decides, who maintains, who evolves?
- Honest constraints: what are we optimizing for — speed, stability, or flexibility?
Technology amplifies whatever structure already exists.
If alignment is weak, systems magnify chaos.
If alignment is strong, even simple systems can scale remarkably well.
Before choosing tools, frameworks, or architectures,
ask a simpler question:
“Do we agree on what success looks like?”