Adrian Locusteanu, Thoughtworks Romania: “We can clearly observe tighter scrutiny for each investment in technology”

“As technology continues to be the driving force for competitive advantage across all industries, we believe that only organizations that invest in and look to optimize their engineering function to provide a highly effective work environment, in which engineers can be productive, will be able to attract and retain talent and compete in markets where customer expectations and costs are increasing,” Adrian Locusteanu, Head of Demand, Thoughtworks Romania told The Diplomat-Bucharest.

How do you see the evolution of the technology sector in 2023?

Platforms as products, Hostile Tech (confronting challenges in security, ethics and privacy) or Partnering with AI (making machine intelligence mainstream) are among the key trends in the market for 2023.  
One special remark for the current moment: as we interact on a continuous basis with many companies worldwide, we can clearly observe tighter scrutiny for each investment in technology, with a focus on ROI and short-term value for money.

What are the challenges the Romanian companies are facing at the moment?

There is a fine balance between two factors: (1) being efficient and remaining competitive under challenging macroeconomic conditions and (2) keeping a steady pace for modernization and digitization.

Ideally, digitization should be the key tool to ensure quick adaptation and steady competitiveness, but this depends very much on how it is approached strategically and further implemented.

What are the latest technological innovations that will become mainstream in the next years?

Generative AI and AR/VR are some obvious examples. For example, AR/VR will impact dramatically not only the entertainment sector but will probably remodel social and professional interactions at scale.

How should a company react to the growing number of new technologies?

For many businesses around the world, keeping up with technology can be a significant challenge given the rapid pace of change in the industry. That’s why Thoughtworks created the Looking Glass — it’s designed to help businesses navigate industry shifts and identify new opportunities.

Also – based on our day-to-day work experience in Thoughtworks – we are publishing Tech-Radar, a summary of the changes that we think are currently interesting in software development. Without being a deep market analysis “per se” – it can offer a good orientation for technology decision makers.

How is Thoughtworks supporting clients to pursue economic growth?

As technology continues to be the driving force for competitive advantage across all industries, we believe that only organizations that invest in and look to optimize their engineering function to provide a highly effective work environment, in which engineers can be productive, will be able to attract and retain talent and compete in markets where customer expectations and costs are increasing.

Thoughtworks developed a modular, scalable framework to continuously engage and drive outcomes for engineering organizations across multiple dimensions. The resulting framework guarantees transformational results at an accelerated pace. Our solution explores six focus areas within the product and engineering value stream and three organizational enablers for a holistic engineering transformation.

What should be the priorities for Romanian IT managers in the upcoming years?

Setting up and consolidating an appropriate environment for performance. Creating the right culture to allow them to be connected to the technology evolution while also supporting their companies business objectives.