Technology readiness assessment (TRA) is a systematic process of evaluating the maturity and feasibility of a technology or innovation before adopting or investing in it. TRA helps you identify the gaps, risks, and opportunities associated with a technology and align it with your strategic goals and capabilities. In this article, you will learn how to conduct a TRA in six steps.
The first step of a TRA is to define the purpose and scope of the assessment. What are the objectives and criteria of the evaluation? Who are the stakeholders and users of the technology? What are the functional and performance requirements of the technology? How will the technology be integrated into your existing systems and processes? These questions will help you establish the scope and boundaries of the TRA and focus on the most relevant aspects of the technology.
First and foremost is to baseline the scope of assessment and understand the business problems that need to be solved. Secondly, conduct an as-is analysis of the business processes to identify the MUST-have features and capabilities of the technology/tool. MOSCoW can be a handy framework to define this. Subsequently, understand the existing technology landscape of the business.
Before identifying a goal or looking at evaluation criteria get a read of the people that brought you into the conversation. Are these people empathetic to find a solution? Do these people want you here? Why is this on the table? This is where you cut your teeth on behavioral assessment and make sure that the group or organization are open to change.
The second step of a TRA is to identify the technology readiness levels (TRLs) of the technology or innovation. TRLs are a scale of nine levels that measure the degree of maturity and readiness of a technology, from basic research (TRL 1) to full operational capability (TRL 9). TRLs help you assess the current state and the expected progress of the technology and compare it with other alternatives. You can use various sources of information, such as literature reviews, expert opinions, demonstrations, tests, and prototypes, to determine the TRLs of the technology.
With the above defined well, prepare an evaluation tool/criteria to assess and score the capabilities of different tools. Check various tools available in the market, especially those with a footprint in a similar domain, and choose the top 3-4 tools with some initial filters based on the budget availability, fitment into IT policies and guidelines, Licensing models, etc. Assess the maturity levels of each tool on the different criteria and score the tools with a numeric scale. After evaluating the must-have capabilities go for assessing competitive positioning, other additional capabilities, and future roadmaps of the tools. Plot different graphs or tables to make comparative benchmarking of each tool.
The third step of a TRA is to analyze the technology gaps and risks that may hinder or delay the adoption or implementation of the technology. Technology gaps are the differences between the current and desired TRLs of the technology or its components. Technology risks are the potential issues or challenges that may arise from the technical, operational, organizational, or environmental factors affecting the technology. You can use various tools, such as gap analysis, risk matrix, SWOT analysis, or PESTLE analysis, to identify and prioritize the technology gaps and risks and their impacts.
Identifying gaps comes in many ways, from SWOT to build vs. buy portions of the tech stack. However, the key here is having agnostic and open conversations around the technology and its readiness to update/upgrade/or change. Getting to the root of an architecture, and ultimately its dirty secrets, comes from connecting and hearing the stories of the current technology stack and its major issues.
Have the risks posture, integrability, future capabilities, OOTB vs. Customization, etc. defined using SWOT, Risk matrix. Identify Skill and resource gaps within and outside of the organization. Check for the availability of SI partners and service support base preferably in the demography with SLA options.
The fourth step of a TRA is to develop the technology roadmap and action plan that outline the steps and resources needed to achieve the desired TRLs of the technology and mitigate the technology risks. A technology roadmap is a visual representation of the milestones, deliverables, and dependencies of the technology development and deployment process. A technology action plan is a detailed document that specifies the tasks, responsibilities, timelines, budgets, and performance indicators of the technology project. You can use various tools, such as Gantt charts, SMART goals, or RACI matrix, to create and communicate the technology roadmap and action plan.
The next step is to prepare the technology roadmap with as-is vs. to-be defined with the help of Target Operational Architecture. Roadmap to include the implementation plan with key milestones, budgets, and dependencies, risks highlighted. Follow a normal Project management methodology and define a detailed action plan.
The fifth step of a TRA is to validate and review the technology assessment with the relevant stakeholders and experts. Validation is the process of verifying the accuracy and completeness of the information and data used in the TRA. Review is the process of evaluating the quality and relevance of the TRA results and recommendations. You can use various methods, such as feedback surveys, interviews, workshops, or peer reviews, to collect and analyze the feedback and suggestions from the validation and review process and incorporate them into the TRA report.
Validation can come from user feedback or through testing. Testing is more agnostic than gathering feedback from the consensus of internal employees. Testing leads an organization to organic and verifiable changes that are required.
The sixth and final step of a TRA is to communicate and disseminate the technology assessment to the intended audiences and users of the technology. Communication is the process of presenting and explaining the TRA findings and implications in a clear and concise manner. Dissemination is the process of distributing and sharing the TRA report and supporting materials in appropriate formats and channels. You can use various tools, such as executive summaries, infographics, presentations, or webinars, to communicate and disseminate the TRA effectively and efficiently.
Communicate the decision, process followed to evaluate the tools and implementation roadmap, goals of the implementation, and various business benefits expected at various stages of implementation and the measurement of success.