Technology Management
Technology Management asks how an organization chooses, acquires, develops, protects, and retires technology so that it serves strategy. CTMA items in this domain are decision-oriented: a scenario is given and you must pick the defensible portfolio, sourcing, or lifecycle action. Expect stage models, definitions, and short quantitative trade-offs rather than deep engineering math.
Frameworks the exam expects
- Technology life cycle: emerging → growth → mature → declining. Emerging stages emphasize exploration and IP positioning; mature stages emphasize cost, standardization, and incremental improvement.
- Technology readiness levels (TRL 1–9): 1–3 basic research and proof of concept; 4–6 lab-to-relevant-environment demonstration; 7–9 prototype in operational environment, qualified system, proven in service. TRL is evidence of maturity, not a schedule.
- Invention versus innovation: invention is a novel technical idea; innovation is that idea converted into adopted value. A patent nobody licenses is not innovation.
- Sourcing: make (internal R&D), buy (license or acquisition), or partner (joint development, alliance). Decide on strategic criticality, internal capability, time-to-market, and IP control.
- IP: patents protect novel, non-obvious, useful inventions for a limited term; trade secrets protect confidential know-how indefinitely if secrecy holds; copyright covers expression, not function.
Worked example
Three projects are scored 1–5 on strategic fit, technical risk (5 = low risk), and time-to-market (5 = fastest), weighted 0.5, 0.3, 0.2.
- A: 5, 3, 4 → 2.5 + 0.9 + 0.8 = 4.2
- B: 4, 5, 2 → 2.0 + 1.5 + 0.4 = 3.9
- C: 3, 4, 5 → 1.5 + 1.2 + 1.0 = 3.7 A wins, but only because fit carries half the weight. If delivery risk is the real constraint, reweighting reverses the ranking - state that, because the weights encode strategy and the exam rewards recognizing it.
Traps
- Treating high TRL as commercial viability; TRL says nothing about demand.
- Confusing technology push with market pull when the stem describes a customer-requested incremental change.
- Ignoring total cost of ownership (integration, training, license renewals) when comparing buy versus build.
- Assuming the funder owns IP in sponsored research; ownership follows the contract.