Framework library · Technology management
Technology readiness levels
Technology readiness levels describe how far a technology has travelled, from a principle observed in a laboratory (level 1) to a complete system proven in real operation (level 9). Each level has evidence attached, and a technology sits at the highest level whose criteria are met, along with those of every level below it.
Use it when
- You are deciding whether to fund, buy, partner on or build around a technology.
- A vendor or start-up claims a technology is ready, and you need to test the claim.
- A portfolio of R&D projects needs a common measure of maturity.
Avoid it when
- You need to know whether it will sell. TRL measures technical maturity, not market readiness or manufacturability.
- The technology is software that can be shipped and tested in production quickly. The scale was built for hardware and fits software loosely.
- There is no test evidence. A TRL without evidence is an opinion with a number.
How to run it
Define the technology and its intended use
TRL depends on the environment: a radio proven in a laboratory is not proven on a rooftop.
Work up from level 1
Tick each criterion only when there is evidence: a report, a test record, a deployment.
Stop at the first gap
The level reached is the highest level with every criterion met, and every level below it.
Note the evidence for each level
Record it so that someone else can check it and you can see what the next level needs.
Plan the next level
Decide what test, in what environment, would move it up one level, and what it would cost.
Work through it
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Mistakes to avoid
- Skipping levels because a later demonstration impressed someone. The untested levels are where the surprises are, and they then arrive in deployment rather than in the lab.
- Rating a component and applying the level to the whole system, which hides the integration work that usually takes longest.
- Accepting a vendor's level without seeing the tests, so the programme plans against a date the technology cannot meet.
Where it comes from
The scale was introduced at NASA by Stan Sadin in 1974, extended to nine levels in John C. Mankins, "Technology Readiness Levels: A White Paper" (NASA, 1995), standardised in ISO 16290:2013 and adopted by the European Commission for Horizon 2020. The criteria below paraphrase NASA's definitions. Source.
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