The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) concept, first developed by NASA, is now used in several industry sectors and provides an indication of technology maturity. TRLs typically run from 1 to 9, with TRL 1 being the lowest level of technology maturity, and TRL 9 corresponding to field or mission proven technology.
Some sectors and end-users have developed their own TRL definitions. However, the intent is consistent with most sectors using the same 1 to 9 levels with slight variations in the level descriptions to reflect industry sector-specific application. As such, the High Level TRL 1 to 9 definitions provide a common framework for communicating technology maturity - to investors, funding-bodies, or end-users, for example. They also enable an understanding of the extent and nature of work required to qualify technology to the required level as well as the potential level of technical and commercial risk.
The oil and gas industry also uses a 0 to 7 scale, particularly for subsea applications (see API RP 17Q and ISO 20815).This uses similar definitions for corresponding levels with, for example, API RP 17Q TRL 7 corresponding to NASA TRL 9. It is important to be clear which scale is used (1 - 9 or 0 - 7) when communicating achieved TRL to a third party.
Achievement of a specific TRL may be a requirement for investment or technology application by end-users. TRL milestones are sometimes used as decision stage gates in technology development projects, for example to support continued investment decisions, or adoption into deployment projects.
Early in a technology qualification project, TRL is often assessed at a high level for the technology system as a whole to enable an initial understanding of the technology maturity, to support qualification planning and include in funding applications. The RAPAT "High Level TRL Assessment" worksheet has been designed to support this. It utilises a generic 1 to 9 TRL scale combining guidance from different industry sectors. For each TRL, five contributing elements are described which indicate the type of activities expected to be completed to achieve that TRL.
As work progresses and more detail about the design becomes available, a more comprehensive component level assessment can be undertaken using the 'Detailed TRL Assessment' worksheet. The component assessment is then used to provide an overall technology system TRL. The 'Detailed TRL Assessment' worksheet can also be used for an initial assessment of more mature technology - e.g. technology proven for one application being qualified for a new application.
The TRL assessment should be based on evidence of undertaking the required qualification activity elements to achieve each TRL. It is recommended that the assessment is completed as a group activity, involving relevant members of the technology development team. For modified technology being qualified for new applications, it can be useful to get input from previous qualification / use. As the assessment can be subjective, the end user may need to be involved in the assessment to ensure there is agreement of achieved TRL.
Shows an overview of each TRL and its current overall completion status. A count is provided of the current status of the TRL's contributing elements, and the percentage completion of the TRL (i.e. how many of the elements are marked as 'Completed') is calculated. This dashboard will update dynamically as the worksheet is updated. Colour-coding is used to provide a quick visual indication of the TRL assessment progress as follows:
The overall TRL is based on the highest TRL which has all contributing elements achieved for that and all previous TRLs. Any elements identified as "N/A" are excluded from the dashboard analysis.
This is where each TRL is described in detail, along with the contributing elements which must be met, in order to achieve the TRL.
Once the initial assessment is complete, it is recommended that the TRL assessment is updated at a more detailed component assessment to support qualification planning once sufficient design detail is available. It is also recommended that the assessment is updated (at either a high- or detailed-level) at key project decision gates (Current Interim TRL) and at completion of a product development / technology qualification project (Final TRL).
