Technology Evaluation

What the framework is

Technology evaluation compares software, platforms or technical solutions against the criteria that matter to the people who will use and run them. The template starts with five criteria: Ease of Use, Integration Capability, Scalability, Cost Effectiveness, and Security and Reliability. The criteria can be changed, added to and weighted.

What the result looks like

When it earns its place

Use it for software selection, platform migrations, procurement shortlists or build-versus-buy decisions, once you have two to six real candidates.

The trap is the demo. The solution with the best demonstration is not always the one that fits. Compare on evidence from trials, references and documentation, and include the people who will support it.

How to run it with a group

1. Shortlist two to six solutions, and agree what evidence each will be judged on.
2. Agree the weights. Security and Reliability may be a minimum bar rather than a trade-off.
3. Participants compare the solutions two at a time on each criterion. Participants do not need an account to respond. Include users and the people who will run it.
4. Read the overall ranking, then the ranking per criterion. A winner that ranks last on integration needs a plan for that before you sign.

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