Five Steps to Selecting The Best Technology For Your Projects

Developers are being faced with a range of emerging technologies and little guidance on which are best for their projects. Comparison is made difficult by a range of competing project variables and specifying the wrong technology could be detrimental to project performance. Here are five steps to ensuring that technology testing leads to the right results:

1. Set the goal of the test:

Choose which variables and over what period they should be measured. Variables should be weighted to ensure that all project requirements are appropriately considered. This may include seemingly odd requirements due to quirks in standards and regulations. For example, energy consumption data should account for seasonal variation, but with a weighting applied to Building Regulations to ensure the technology is useable.

2. Design the test:

Develop a methodology for measuring and storing the selected variables’ data. It is likely that manufacturers will need to be involved with this process. For example, measuring energy efficiency may require multiple meters – is this possible?

3. Make the test fair:

Control variables and other influences should be measured to be able to normalise results in later analysis. For example, occupancy rates and external temperature can impact energy use and should be measured.

4. Do the test:

The test should be completed by a competent person incorporating the developed plan from the previous steps.

5. Analyse the results:

After normalising the results to account for control variables, technologies can be scored on the basis of measured variables and agreed weightings to select the best option for your project.

Whilst technology testing has its pitfalls, due diligence in the planning of a fair test can ensure that a good quality comparison is made. Involving the right people in this planning will ensure that all the relevant variables are considered, and that the most appropriate technology is taken forward.