Communication

Documentation preserves decision rationale when context or personnel change. Technical value includes producing explanations that other people can use. Clear business-facing explanations can influence budget and organizational support. Clear communication requires explaining the reasoning behind engineering decisions. Poor communication wastes money by causing mistakes, rework, and misunderstanding. A developer who cannot explain technical ideas to non-coders becomes a bottleneck. A CTO must communicate effectively in both business and engineering contexts. Explaining technical problems in non-technical terms is a practical CTO skill.