Lesson 10: Technology assessment and forecasting.

This lesson focused on  the different methods of technological assessment . Reading one provided a wide perspective on the different methods of technological assessment(TA). An interesting method of TA discussed in this paper which caught my attention is interpretive structural modeling, ISM Begins with an identifying an issue or problem, the elements which the issue comprises of are then listed out and a relationship matrix is then formed between this element. This Structured approach provides a simple but yet effective approach to identifying potential problems and results that may result whenever an element which the issue comprises of is changed. This provides a simple, flexible and logical approach to forecasting potential changes that may arise when from a particular technology is invented.

Another noteworthy point discussed in class was the alternative approach to strategic foresight. Instead of extrapolating forecast from pst to present the alternative approach presented to us was to work back from the future. This essentially calls us to see where we want to go with in terms of our vision for technology and development and then addressing that facts that have to be changed in the present in order to realise this vision .Such an approach will allow people to break out of the constraints of our limitations which may be subconsciously embedded in us due to our perceptions of what cannot be achieved based on past data, which may bind potentially revolutionary ideas. Thus I believe such an approach is one that change leaders should adopt .This was probably the topic I wish we would have discussed in greater detail, as we only spent about 5 mins on it. 

Class rating 8/10