Defining Useful Technology Evaluations

Information technology executives and managers at MITRE sponsors are the decision-makers who direct the selection and adoption of new technologies. Nonetheless, they often lack a systematic method for assessing technology value. Although best practices are well documented in academic literature, decision-makers may unknowingly fall victim to or use haphazard approaches that fail to meet business needs and bypass more effective technologies. This paper explains to executives and managers why they need a systematic approach to technology evaluation. Then, it distills for them the evaluation methods and technology investigation processes proposed by experts in empirical software engineering. This paper has not aimed to add novel ideas to the academic discussion of technology evaluation. Rather, the intent here is to allow MITRE sponsors to access, understand, and apply these concepts.