ImpACT: An alternative to technology readiness levels for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software

Abstract

The use of Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) as a tool in assessing acquisition and development program risk has steadily increased over the past several years. There is considerable evidence to support the utility of using TRLs as part of a risk assessment, but there are some difficulties in using TRLs with software, especially Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software technology and products. These difficulties take several forms, including "blurring-together" various aspects of COTS technology/product readiness; the absence of some important aspects of readiness; COTS product "decay;" and no mechanism to account for changes in the relative importance of the contributors to technology/product readiness over time. This paper briefly examines these issues, and proposes an alternate methodology - ImpACT - for assessing COTS software technology and product readiness which considers these factors. © Springer-Verlag 2004.