The AI team takes a deep dive into a technical paper which critiques the traditional Technology Readiness Level (TRL) metric for its inability to predict future progress or address the later stages of a system's life. By applying holistic thinking perspectives, the author argues for a shift from measuring static maturity to evaluating long-term technology availability. This approach introduces the dynamic TRL (dTRL), which utilizes historical data to forecast when a technology will actually be ready for integration. It is similar to the use of Earned Value Analysis which can be used to forecast project cost and schedule.

Furthermore, the text proposes the Technology Availability Window of Opportunity (TAWOO) as a comprehensive framework that extends beyond development to include obsolescence and material shortages. Ultimately, the source demonstrates that holistic problem-solving broadens the project manager's scope, ensuring technology is supported from its initial conception through its eventual retirement. These conceptual tools aim to reduce programmatic risk by providing a more complete vision of the entire technology lifecycle.

Further details may be found in the technical paper, Kasser, J.E., Applying Holistic Thinking to the Problem of Determining the Future Availability of Technology, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, Volume 46, Number 3, 2016.