Technology Evaluation Skill — Tech Selector
Overview
This skill provides comprehensive guidance for evaluating and selecting technologies. It covers requirements analysis, pros/cons analysis, proof of concepts, technology roadmaps, and technology selection following technology evaluation best practices.
When to Use
Use this skill when:
- Evaluating technology options for projects
- Comparing technology stacks
- Conducting technology assessments
- Making technology selection recommendations
- Creating technology requirements
- Performing proof of concept (PoC)
- Evaluating technology vendors
- Conducting technology feasibility studies
- Creating technology roadmaps
- Evaluating technology risks
- Assessing technology scalability
- Evaluating technology maintainability
- Conducting technology cost analysis
- Evaluating technology community support
- Assessing technology learning curve
- Evaluating technology ecosystem
- Conducting technology compatibility analysis
- Evaluating technology security
- Assessing technology performance
- Evaluating technology integration
- Conducting technology migration analysis
- Evaluating technology future outlook
- Assessing technology vendor stability
Do NOT use this skill when:
- Writing application business logic (use domain-driven skill)
- Designing database schemas (use database-design skill)
- Writing API endpoint specifications (use api-design skill)
- Performing security audits (use security-auditor skill)
- Writing SQL queries (use sql-best-practices skill)
- Designing multi-page website layouts (use design-system skill)
- Analyzing deployment configurations (use deployment skill)
- Writing documentation (use documentation-best-practices skill)
Technology Evaluation Framework
Evaluation Checklist
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Technology Evaluation Checklist │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Requirements: │ │ [ ] Meets functional requirements │ │ [ ] Meets non-functional requirements │ │ [ ] Scales to expected load │ │ [ ] Integrates with existing systems │ │ │ │ Technical: │ │ [ ] Performance acceptable │ │ [ ] Security requirements met │ │ [ ] Maintainability good │ │ [ ] Documentation available │ │ │ │ Community: │ │ [ ] Active community │ │ [ ] Regular updates │ │ [ ] Good support resources │ │ [ ] Community contributions │ │ │ │ Business: │ │ [ ] Cost acceptable │ │ [ ] Vendor stability │ │ [ ] License terms acceptable │ │ [ ] Long-term viability │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Evaluation Matrix
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Technology Evaluation Matrix │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Criteria │ Tech A │ Tech B │ Tech C │ Weight │ │ ──────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────────│ │ Performance │ 8 │ 9 │ 7 │ 25% │ │ Scalability │ 7 │ 8 │ 9 │ 20% │ │ Security │ 9 │ 7 │ 8 │ 20% │ │ Maintainability │ 8 │ 8 │ 6 │ 15% │ │ Community │ 7 │ 9 │ 5 │ 10% │ │ Cost │ 9 │ 6 │ 8 │ 10% │ │ ──────────────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────────│ │ Total Score │ 7.9 │ 7.9 │ 7.1 │ 100% │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Technology Comparison
Technology Comparison Template
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Technology Comparison │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Technology: [Tech A vs Tech B] │ │ │ │ Pros of Tech A: │ │ - Performance advantages │ │ - Better documentation │ │ - Stronger community │ │ - More mature ecosystem │ │ │ │ Cons of Tech A: │ │ - Higher learning curve │ │ - More complex setup │ │ - Higher resource usage │ │ │ │ Pros of Tech B: │ │ - Simpler learning curve │ │ - Faster development │ │ - Lower resource usage │ │ │ │ Cons of Tech B: │ │ - Limited scalability │ │ - Smaller community │ │ - Less mature ecosystem │ │ │ │ Recommendation: [Based on requirements] │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Proof of Concept
PoC Template
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Proof of Concept │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Objective: │ │ [Clear objective of PoC] │ │ │ │ Scope: │ │ - What will be implemented │ │ - What will not be implemented │ │ - Assumptions and constraints │ │ │ │ Success Criteria: │ │ - Performance benchmarks │ │ - Functionality requirements │ │ - Integration requirements │ │ │ │ Timeline: │ │ - Duration: [Timeframe] │ │ - Milestones: [Key dates] │ │ - Review points: [Checkpoints] │ │ │ │ Resources: │ │ - Team members │ │ - Tools and technologies │ │ - Infrastructure │ │ │ │ Deliverables: │ │ - Working prototype │ │ - Performance report │ │ - Recommendations │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Technology Roadmap
Technology Roadmap Template
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Technology Roadmap │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Current State: │ │ - Technology stack: [Current tech] │ │ - Strengths: [Current strengths] │ │ - Weaknesses: [Current weaknesses] │ │ │ │ Target State: │ │ - Desired technology stack: [Target tech] │ │ - Performance goals: [Goals] │ │ - Scalability goals: [Goals] │ │ │ │ Migration Strategy: │ │ Phase 1 (0-3 months): │ │ - Assess current state │ │ - Define requirements │ │ - Select technology │ │ │ │ Phase 2 (3-6 months): │ │ - Proof of concept │ │ - Prototype development │ │ - Performance testing │ │ │ │ Phase 3 (6-12 months): │ │ - Migration planning │ │ - Team training │ │ - Infrastructure setup │ │ │ │ Phase 4 (12+ months): │ │ - Migration execution │ │ - Testing and validation │ │ - Documentation and handover │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Technology Risks
Risk Assessment
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Technology Risk Assessment │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ Technology: [Tech Name] │ │ │ │ Technical Risks: │ │ - Performance issues (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - Scalability limitations (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - Security vulnerabilities (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - Maintenance complexity (High/Medium/Low) │ │ │ │ Business Risks: │ │ - Vendor stability (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - License changes (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - Cost overruns (High/Medium/Low) │ │ - Skill availability (High/Medium/Low) │ │ │ │ Mitigation Strategies: │ │ - [Strategy 1] │ │ - [Strategy 2] │ │ - [Strategy 3] │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Real-World Impact
Before this skill:
- Ad-hoc technology selection
- Poor technology choices
- Integration issues
- Scalability problems
- High maintenance costs
After this skill:
- Well-evaluated technology choices
- Right technology for requirements
- Smooth integration
- Scalable solutions
- Maintainable systems
Cross-References
analyzing-projects- For technology assessmentarchitecture-patterns- For technology integrationdevops-pipeline- For technology deployment
