5-Pillar Tech Evaluation Framework

A Decision Guide for Evaluating Tech Tools

by Z Johnson, MRXplorer.com

💡 Remember: Strategy First, Tools Second

Before evaluating or committing to ANY tool, ask yourself:

A tool with a perfect 25/25 score is still the WRONG tool if it doesn't serve your strategy.

Pillar 1: Usability

Key Question: Can my team actually USE this without extensive training or technical expertise?

Questions to Ask:

  • How long does onboarding typically take?
  • Is the interface intuitive, or does it require specialized knowledge?
  • What kind of support is available (chat, phone, documentation)?
  • Can I see examples of how other teams use this day-to-day?
  • Will junior team members be able to use this, or just senior staff?

🚩 Red Flags:

Requires extensive training, complicated setup, poor documentation, unresponsive support

✅ Green Flags:

Quick onboarding, intuitive interface, excellent support, clear documentation

Pillar 2: Interoperability

Key Question: Does this work well with the tools we already use?

Questions to Ask:

  • What file formats does it import/export?
  • Does it have APIs or integrations with our current tools?
  • Can we easily move data in and out?
  • What happens to data if we cancel the service?
  • Will this create data silos, or will it connect with our workflow?
  • What happens to our data if we decide to leave this platform?

🚩 Red Flags:

Proprietary formats, no integrations, difficult data export, vendor lock-in

✅ Green Flags:

Open APIs, standard file formats, existing integrations, easy data portability

Pillar 3: Flexibility

Key Question: Can this grow and change with our business?

Questions to Ask:

  • Can it handle different types of projects/clients/industries?
  • Is it customizable to our specific workflows?
  • Can we scale up or down as needed?
  • What happens if our needs change in 6 months? 2 years?
  • Does it force us into rigid processes, or adapt to how we work?

🚩 Red Flags:

Rigid workflows, limited customization, "one size fits all" approach, can't scale

✅ Green Flags:

Highly customizable, scalable, adapts to different use cases, grows with you

Pillar 4: Data Privacy and Security

Key Question: Can we trust this with our clients' sensitive data?

Questions to Ask:

  • Where is data stored (which countries/servers)?
  • What certifications do they have (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR compliance)?
  • What's their data retention policy? Can we control when our data is removed?
  • Have they had any security breaches? How did they handle it?
  • Can we control who has access to our data?
  • For AI tools specifically: Who owns the prompts and the outputs? Is our data used to train your AI models? Is our data shared with any third-party AI tools?

🚩 Red Flags:

Unclear data policies, no compliance certifications, indefinite data storage, past breaches with poor response

✅ Green Flags:

Clear privacy policy, relevant compliance certifications, data residency options, guaranteed deletion

Pillar 5: Price

Key Question: What's the TOTAL cost of ownership - not just the sticker price?

Questions to Ask:

  • What's included in the base price vs. add-ons?
  • Are there setup fees? Training costs? Implementation fees? Support fees? Data storage fees?
  • How much time will implementation take (hours = money)?
  • Is pricing per user, per project, flat rate, or usage-based?
  • What's the contract length? Can we cancel easily?
  • What's the true monthly/annual cost when everything is included?

🚩 Red Flags:

Hidden fees, forced annual contracts, expensive add-ons, costly training requirements

✅ Green Flags:

Transparent pricing, flexible plans, free trial, month-to-month option, included support

Your Evaluation Results

0/25