How do you choose a tech evaluation method?

2 Understand your context

The next step is to analyze your context and environment, both internally and externally. This includes your stakeholders, resources, constraints, opportunities, and challenges. Who are the users, customers, partners, and competitors of the technology? What are their needs, expectations, and feedback? What are the legal, ethical, social, and environmental implications of the technology? How will the technology fit into your existing systems, processes, and culture? Your context will help you choose a tech evaluation method that is relevant and realistic.

3 Explore your options

When evaluating technology, there are various methods to choose from, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and applications. Prototyping involves creating a simplified or partial version of the technology to test its functionality, usability, and desirability. Testing involves conducting experiments or trials to measure the performance, quality, and reliability of the technology. Reviewing is a process of collecting and analyzing data, feedback, and evidence from various sources to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the technology. Benchmarking compares the technology with other similar or competing technologies to identify its advantages, disadvantages, and gaps. Lastly, scoring assigns numerical values or ratings to different aspects or features of the technology based on predefined criteria or standards. Depending on your objectives, context, and resources you can use one or more of these methods; you can also combine or adapt them to suit your specific needs and situation.

4 Plan your process

Once you have chosen a tech evaluation method, you need to plan your process and timeline. How will you design, implement, and manage the evaluation? What are the roles and responsibilities of the evaluation team and other stakeholders? What are the data sources, tools, and techniques that you will use? How will you ensure the validity, reliability, and credibility of the evaluation? How will you communicate and report the evaluation results and recommendations? Your process should be clear, consistent, and transparent.

5 Learn and improve

The final step is to learn from the evaluation and use the insights to improve your technology and decision making. What are the main findings, conclusions, and implications of the evaluation? What are the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of the technology? What are the best practices, lessons learned, and challenges faced during the evaluation? How can you use the evaluation results to enhance your technology, strategy, and innovation? Your learning should be actionable, meaningful, and continuous.

Technology evaluation is not a one-time or one-size-fits-all activity. It is a dynamic and iterative process that requires constant reflection, adaptation, and improvement. By choosing a tech evaluation method that matches your objectives and context, you can maximize your technology potential and innovation.