Brief Template

Technology Scouting Brief

A repeatable, fillable scouting brief to evaluate a new technology across use cases, maturity, integration, data & security, and a fast trial plan—so teams can compare technologies objectively and store findings for later comparison and decision-making.

Interactive Tool

Technology Scouting Brief

Use this brief to capture a concise, comparable assessment of a new technology. Focus on potential value, readiness evidence, integration implications, and a low-risk trial plan. Saving briefs creates a record you can compare across vendors, teams, or pilot attempts.

Who completed this brief? Include team or unit to enable comparisons.
Use YYYY-MM-DD or human-readable date.
Short description of the technology, vendor (if any), and core capabilities.
What makes this technology unique compared with current options?
List specific functions, processes, or customer problems this could address.
How will success be measured? Describe value drivers (cost, speed, quality, new revenue, risk reduction).
Concrete KPIs to track during trials (e.g., cycle time, defect rate, conversion uplift, cost per transaction).
Choose the best-fit maturity level based on evidence.
Cite tests, deployments, case studies, benchmarks, reproducible results, references, or gaps in evidence.
Systems, APIs, data flows, middleware, skill sets, and teams affected by integration.
Supported platforms, protocols, standards, and expected adapters or changes required.
Data collected/processed, storage locations, third-party access, encryption, privacy risks, and compliance requirements.
Any rules, certifications, or approvals needed for trial or production use.
Potential impacts on operations, safety, customer experience, or critical processes.
One clear objective for a low-risk trial that, if met, would justify further investment.
Specific, testable hypotheses the trial will validate or invalidate.
Quantitative and qualitative criteria that determine whether trial outcomes are acceptable.
Define what will and won't be tested to keep the pilot focused and low risk.
Reasonable timebox for an initial low-risk trial.
Order-of-magnitude cost estimate for planning purposes.
Concrete immediate steps (e.g., vendor sandbox access, data sample request, stakeholder review).
Scale: 1 (low) to 5 (high). Use to compare relative importance.
1.0 10.0
Quick decision signal to help reviewers prioritize.
URLs, vendor docs, datasets, demo recordings, or contact info.
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