www.cloudwatchhub.eu|info@cloudwatchhub.eu/@CloudWatchHubCLOUDWATCH2hasreceivedfundingfromtheEuropeanUnion'sHorizon2020programme-DGCONNECTSoftware&Services,Cloud.ContractNo.644748

D2.4MappingofEUcloudservices,solutionsandproviders

www.cloudwatchhub.eu|info@cloudwatchhub.eu|@cloudwatchhub

This document elaborates on an innovative concept, “Market Readiness Levels”, as a complementary

methodology to “Technology Readiness Levels” as it has been initially introduced in the predecessor

document,D2.2.Bothconcepts,TechnologyReadinessLevels,andMarketReadinessLevelsaredesignedas

instruments for project preparation and project review. Initially targeting EC-funded projects (under

H2020)itisdesignedtobeusedincommercialcontextsaswell.

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CloudWATCH2Mission

Itisonlywhentheinnovationprocessisinclusiveandopenthatwetrulyadvancetechnologyforhumanity–fromsmallbusinessestopublicsectororganisationsandcitizensasthenewdigitalconsumers.Theuseofopen source software and open standards are becoming increasingly seen as enablers and levellers forpublicandprivatesectorsalike,bundlingskillstocreatenewservicesandapplications.

CloudWATCH2 takes a pragmatic approach tomarket uptake and sustainable competitiveness forwideruptakeandcommercialexploitation. ItprovidesasetofservicestohelpEuropeanR&I initiativescapturethevaluepropositionandbusinesscaseaskeytoboostingtheEuropeaneconomy.

CloudWATCH2servicesinclude:

v A cloud market structure roadmap with transparent pricing to enable R&I projects to chartexploitationpathsinwaystheyhadnotpreviouslyconsidered,orhelpthemavoidapproachesthatwouldnothavebeensuccessful.

v Mapping the EU cloud ecosystem of products, services and solutions emerging from EU R&Iprojects.Identifyingsoftwarechampionsandbestpracticesinmitigatingrisksassociatedwithopensourceprojects,andultimately,enablefastertime-to-valueandcommercialisation.

v Impact meetings for clustering and convergence on common themes and challenges. Re-use oftechnologieswillalsobeofparamountimportance.

v Promotingtrusted&secureservicesthroughroadshowsanddeepdivetrainingsessions.GivingR&IinitiativesaroutetousersatmajorconferencesorinlocalICTclusters.

v A portfolio of standards for interoperability and security that can facilitate the realisation of anecosystemofinteroperableservicesforEurope.

v Cloud interoperability testing in an international developer-oriented and hands-on environment.Findingswillbetransferredintoguidancedocumentsandstandards.

v Risk management and legal guides to the cloud for private and public organisations to lowerbarriersandensureatrustedEuropeancloudmarket.

v Legal guidelines to the cloud for SMEs containing practical examples of cloud contracts’ clausesthatneedtobeassessedbeforepurchasingcloudservices.

Disclaimer

CloudWATCH2(AEuropeanCloudObservatorysupportingcloudpolicies,standardprofilesandservices)isfundedbytheEuropeanCommission’sUnitonSoftwareandServices,CloudComputingwithinDGConnectunderHorizon2020.

Theinformation,viewsandtipssetoutinthispublicationarethoseoftheCloudWATCH2ConsortiumanditspoolofinternationalexpertsandcannotbeconsideredtoreflecttheviewsoftheEuropeanCommission.

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DOCUMENTINFORMATIONDocumenttitle: D2.2 Mapping of EU cloud services, solutions technological

readiness

MainAuthor(s): MichelDrescher,UOXF&FrankBennett,iCloud&Externalexpert

Contributingauthor(s): -Reviewer(s): NicolaFranchetto,ICTLegalConsulting

NicholasFerguson&GennaroFontanarosa,Trust-ITSerivces

Targetaudiences: EuropeanCommission

EC-fundedprojectsinparticularfromUnitE2

Keywords: Cluster,Exploitation,sustainability,market

Deliverablenature: Report

Dissemination level:(Confidentiality)

Public

Contractualdeliverydate: August2017(M24)

Actualdeliverydate: August2017(M24)

Version: Final

Referencetorelatedpublications

D2.2MappingofEUcloudservices,solutionsandproviders

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ExecutiveSummary

There is the imperative for Research & Innovation (“R&I”) outputs to be useful, usable and used. Thisdeliverabledescribeshow to fulfil that imperativewith anewproject supportmethod. Thismethodhasbeenvalidatedinaclosedenvironmentwith6existinggrant-fundedR&Iprojects.

InApril 2016, at theNet Futures conference inBrussels,CloudWATCH2 ledaworkshopon sustainabilityandexploitationforprojectswithintheECcloudclusters1aspartofitsconcertationefforts.Therewashighengagement with the topic, largely driven by the need for expert input to project exploitation andsustainabilityplanning,andbetterresourcesharingwithinclusters.

BySeptember2016,CloudWATCH2respondedtothisneedbydevelopinganewprojectsupportmethodbased on combining a well-understoodmeasure of technologymaturity, “Technology Readiness Levels”with newly defined “Market Readiness Levels”. In October 2016, after an independent expert, FrankBennett, developed this method based on the needs of CloudWATCH2, the method was refined andsuccessfullytrialledwith3otherprojectswithinthecloudcomputing,softwareandIoTclusters.

Combining thebusinessmodelcanvas, theoutputofabusinessmodelgenerationmethodthathaswideacceptanceincludingamongprojectsreferencedinthisreport,withamethodtoassessmarketreadinessintroducedbytheindependentexpert,itwaspossibletodeveloptheprojectsupportmethodusedtoassistthetrialprojectsreferredtoherein.

There isaclearneed to increase thesustainabilityofgrant-fundedR&Iprojects,ensuring theoutputsoftheseprojectsareusedbytheirconstituentstakeholdersandtargetcustomeraudiences.Infact,asPierreChastanet,actingheadofUnitE.2inDGCNECT,pointedout,itisevermoreimportanttogetvisibilitytoECoutputsfromprojects.ThesortofquestionaskedbypoliticiansorMEPsis:Aftersomuchinvestmentwhatcameoutofit?Howhaveyoustimulatednewplayersinthisspace?2

Theproposedprojectsupportmethodcanbeimplementedatvariousstageswithinthegrantlifecycleandis most relevant at the planning stage, in the months preceding annual project reviews to identifycorrectiveactionsaheadoftimeandduringthecriticalphasebeforetheprojectendwithago-to-marketplan.

Againstshrinkingbudgets,thedesiretoremaincompetitivethroughtechnologicalexcellenceandavisionfor a European Digital Single Market underpinned by the exploitation of ‘home grown’ research andinnovation,thisnewprojectsupportmethodfocusesonR&Isustainability.ThismethodcanberolledoutacrossECtechnologyclusterswithsmartuseofexistingresourcesandwillopenupanew,practicalmethodtosustaintheoutputsofexistingandfutureR&Iprojects.

Through further validation of the proposed methodology with further three projects in June 2017, itdemonstrated the MTRL framework and methodology to be suitable for publicly funded projects toimplementinnovationmanagementasrequiredbytheEuropeanCommission.

1 https://eucloudclusters.wordpress.com/ 2 Concertation meeting of H2020 Projects from DG CNECT Unit E.2; June 2017, Brussels; Pierre Chastanet: Welcome and a perspective from the EC; http://cloudwatchhub.eu/concertation2017

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TableofContents

1 Introduction...............................................................................................................................................72 MarketandTechnologyReadinessLevels(MTRL).....................................................................................92.1 TheMTRLframework........................................................................................................................92.1.1 TechnologyReadinessLevels(TRL)...............................................................................................92.1.2 MarketReadinessLevels(MRL)...................................................................................................102.1.3 The“FourFits”model..................................................................................................................112.1.4 MTRLscores................................................................................................................................122.1.5 BusinessModelCanvas...............................................................................................................122.1.6 Minimumviableproduct(MVP)..................................................................................................132.1.7 TechnologyAdoptionLifecycle....................................................................................................14

2.2 MTRLmethodology.........................................................................................................................142.2.1 ProjectMTRLassessments..........................................................................................................152.2.2 Externaladvisoryandconsulting.................................................................................................152.2.3 Professionalservices...................................................................................................................15

3 High-levelsummaryofresults.................................................................................................................163.1 CloudTeams.....................................................................................................................................163.2 MUSA:Multi-CloudSecureApplications.........................................................................................173.3 WAZIUP:OpenIoTandBigDataplatform,fromAfricansforAfricans............................................173.4 CLARUS............................................................................................................................................193.5 COLA................................................................................................................................................193.6 EUBRABigSEA..................................................................................................................................20

4 Conclusions..............................................................................................................................................214.1 ProjectMTRLassessments..............................................................................................................214.2 WhendoesapplyingMTRLyieldthebestresults?..........................................................................224.3 WhyprojectsshoulduseMTRL:Strategicgameplayandinnovationmanagement.......................224.4 WhystartupsshoulduseMTRL:Helpinggetthefullpicture..........................................................24

5 LogTable..................................................................................................................................................25

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TableofFiguresFigure1:TheBusinessModelCanvasasdefinedbyStrategyzer....................................................................13

Figure2:Thechasmintechnologyadoptionbetweenearlyadoptersandthemainstream..........................14

Figure3:ThestrategycycleaccordingtoS.Wardley......................................................................................23

TableofTablesTable1:MappingcriteriaforECH2020andFP7projects.................................................................................7

Table2:TechnologyReadinessLevelsasadaptedbytheCloudWATCH2project..........................................10

Table3:MarketReadinessLevels.©2016FrankBennett.............................................................................11

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1 Introduction

TheDigitalSingleMarketrepresentsafundamentallylargeopportunityforeconomicgrowth,jobcreationand innovation in technology. Inorder tounleashthepotentialof thedigitaleconomy, it is important tohave a roadmap to guide themarket structure as itmatures, a clearmapping and clusteringof projectswithinResearch&Innovationandamethodologyformeasuringthetechnologicalandcommercialimpactoftheseprojects.

The Digital Single Market is underpinned by cloud services - infrastructure, platforms, software andadvances in telecommunications that facilitate access to digital services – being of high importance topolicymakers.Withunderstandingofthemarket landscapeandapracticalmethodologyforrealisingthebenefitsofResearch&Innovationwithinahighlycompetitivemarket,policiessuchasthoseencouragingdata portability, transparency, strong data protection controls and predictable market conditions,consumptionofcloudserviceswillcontinuetoincrease.

TheCloudWATCH2projectconsortiumhaspreparedguidancefromaneconomicandlegalperspectiveforboth the public sector and businesses across Europe, as well as cataloguing advanced R&D projects byclusterinordertoprovidedecisionmakerswithinsightintoareasyieldingthegreatestimpact.TheCloudServicesCatalogueprovidedbytheCloudWATCH2Project3offersasimplewayforanyonetosearch,filterand access information about the R&I projects within the cloud computing research area. By mappingprojectstobothverticalmarketsandcloudcharacteristics, it ispossibletobroadenunderstandingofthemarketlandscape.ThepurposeofmappingcloudservicesprojectsistoidentifysuitablecandidatesfortheMarket&TechnologyReadinessLevelFramework,i.e.R&Iprojectswithoutputsaddressingaspecificneedinthemarketwithrealisablepotentialanddemonstrabletractionwithinthemarketplace.

VerticalMarkets CloudComputingCharacteristics

DigitalhealthEnergyEngineering&manufacturingFinance&insuranceInternationalagenciesLocalpublicadministrationsMediaNationalgovernmentagenciesResearchinstitutionsSmartcities

Essentialcharacteristics:On-demandself-serviceBroadNetworkaccessResourcepoolingRapidelasticityMeasuredservice

Commoncharacteristics:MassivescaleHomogeneityVirtualisationLow-costsoftwareResilientcomputingGeographicdistributionServiceorientationAdvancedsecurity

Table1:MappingcriteriaforECH2020andFP7projects

Thisapproachservesquicktop-downenquiriesthatoriginatefromauserneeds/marketsegmentpointofview,andtypicallyanswersquestionssuchas“Whichprojectsareprovidingsolutionsforthedigitalhealthsegment,thatprovideawidevarietyofaccessmethods[Broadnetworkaccess],scaleaccordingtoneeds

3 http://www.cloudwatchhub.eu/service-offer-catalogue

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[Rapidelasticity]andcanbedeployedatscale[Massivescale]?”Thisisparticularlysuitableandhelpfulforthose characterised as receiving stakeholders, such as potential investors, funding body programmemanagersandprojectofficers,andothers.

A secondapproachdeveloped in theprojectallowsclusteringofprojectsand initiativespurelybasedonsimilaritiesofimportanceandapplicabilityofthecloudcomputingcharacteristicsacrossresearchprojects.Drillingintomoredetail,thisrecordslevelsofimportanceofeachcloudcomputingcharacteristicforeachindividualresearchproject forwhichdata isavailable4.Advancedstatisticalanalysis, inthiscasePrincipalComponentAnalysis,andothersupplementalmethods,appliedtothatdataprovidesinsightsinaproject-orientedmanner:Byaddinganindividualproject’sdatatothepool,performingthestatisticalanalysis,andinterpreting the resulting clusters allows the positioning of an individual project to identify potentialcollaboration candidateswithin its cluster and/orneighbouring clusters. This is knownas thebottom-upstrategy suitable for exploratory enquiries such as “Are there anyother projectswith sufficiently similar[cloud computing] priorities that we may collaborate with?” Since this methodology is agnostic to thetargetdomainsemantics5itcanbeappliedtoanysegmentthatneedstobemapped.

However, bothmethodologies are static analysis approaches. Though being relevant and useful in theirownright,successfulprojectexecutionrequiresacquisitionandprocessingofdynamicinformation,makingdecisions,andactingupontheminanappropriatemanner–inotherwords,innovationmanagement.

In this context, the CloudWATCH2 project supports EC funded projects in their efforts to implementinnovationmanagement:ThroughcontractingtheexperienceofFrankBennett,anexternalexpert inthismatter,andapplyingittoasmanyprojectsaspossible,CloudWATCH2enabledprojectstobeguidedinaway that informed their decision about the relevance, applicability and impact of their outputs, and actaccordingly.Inotherwords;istheprojecton-targettodeliveranoutputreadyforcommercialexploitation?

Usingaconceptdevelopedoutsidetheproject,CloudWATCH2tookthenotionofMarketReadinessLeveltotheentireportfolioofsoftwareandcloud-relatedprojectsfundedthroughtheH2020programme,andmanagedbyDGCNECTUnitE.2.

This deliverable is a follow-up of its predecessor, D2.2 “Mapping of EU cloud services solutions andtechnologicalreadiness”,publishedinNovember2016.DeliverableD2.2describedthebackgroundmaterial,the “Market and Technology Readiness Levels” (MTRL) and how it was applied for the first time in thesector of publicly funded research and innovationprojects andprovideda succinct descriptionofMTRL.Thiswasmadeavailable inApril 20176under theauspicesof theCloud Industry Forumas a contributedpublicarticletoitsknowledgehubforwiderexposure.

This deliverable (D2.4) documents the application, impact and relevance of theMRTL methodology forpubliclyfundedprojects–inthiscontextprojectsfundedthroughtheECH2020programme,asfollows:

Section2briefly recapitulates theMarketandTechnologyReadinessLevels frameworkandmethodology(MTRL).

Section3accountsforapplyingMTRLtosixprojectsfundedthroughtheECH2020programme.

4 https://tethys.oerc.ox.ac.uk:8443/cluster/OriginalData.xhtml 5 Advanced statistical analysis such as Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical clustering using Euclidian distance algorithms, and others operate on a numerical, context-free representation of the target domain semantics. Thus, applicable to any domain, the quality and expressiveness of the outputs therefore depend on the adequacy and accuracy of the numerical representation of the target domain and data collected within. This methodology was used for clustering activities in the project including the online cluster application (see footnote 4). The cluster results were presented at the second Unit E2 Concertation meeting in 2017 co-located at NetFutures 2017. 6 https://www.cloudindustryforum.org/content/project-product

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Section4providesconclusionsonMTRL,itsrelevanceforfundingbodies,andwhyithadsuchanimpactontheECfundedprojectsdescribedinsection3.

Section 5 ventures into briefly describing exploitation and commercialisation opportunities for MTRLbeyondthelifespanoftheCloudWATCH2project.

2 MarketandTechnologyReadinessLevels(MTRL)

ThissectionprovidesasummaryofthemostimportantelementsoftheMTRLframeworkandmethodology.Werefertothepublication“FromProjecttoProduct”7forfurtherdetails,freelyavailablefordownload.

2.1 TheMTRLframework

The MTRL framework comprises all necessary artefacts and tools necessary to execute the MTRLmethodology. Some of the elements of the MTRL framework are incorporated from other, publiclyavailablesources,whilesomeweregenuinelydevelopedaspartoftheframeworkitself,asfollows.

2.1.1 TechnologyReadinessLevels(TRL)

TRL are widely known and used worldwide. From its beginnings as an emerging definition at NASA tocapture technical progress in their various space satellite programmes, TRLs are used inmany differentcontextsandsectorswithvaryingdefinitions–notleasttheEuropeanCommissionincorporatesTRLsasafundamentalpartofitsH2020programmeasdescribedinAnnexGoftheprogramme’sdocumentation.

MTRLincorporatesTechnologyReadinessLevelsusingthefollowingdefinition,whichisanamalgamationofearlierversions,andadaptationsmadeintheCloudWATCH2project:

TRL Description Phase

0 Idea.Unprovenconcept,notestinghasbeenperformed.

Idea

1 Basicresearch.Principlespostulatedandobservedbutnoexperimentalproofavailable.

2 Technologyformulation.Conceptandapplicationhavebeenformulated.

3 Appliedresearch.Firstlaboratorytestscompleted;proofofconcept.

4 Smallscaleprototype.Builtinalaboratoryenvironment("ugly"prototype).

Prototype

5 Largescaleprototype.Testedinintendedenvironment.

6 Prototypesystem.Testedinintendedenvironmentclosetoexpectedperformance.

Validation

7 Demonstrationsystem.Operatinginoperationalenvironmentatpre-commercialscale.

7 https://www.cloudindustryforum.org/content/project-product

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8 Firstofakindcommercialsystem.Alltechnicalprocessesandsystemstosupportcommercialactivityinreadystate.

Production

9 Fullcommercialapplication.Technologyon‘generalavailability’forallconsumers.

Table2:TechnologyReadinessLevelsasadaptedbytheCloudWATCH2project

ComparedtothedefinitionofTRLintheH2020AnnexG8,thisversionplacestechnologyvalidationonTRLs6and7ratherthan4and5.

Thereasoningbehindthisistwo-fold.Firstly,tobeclearaboutthedifferentiationbetweenResearch(TRL0– 3), Innovation (TRL 4 – 5) and Validation (TRL 6 – 7), and to align with the H2020 SME Instrument’srequirementfortechnologytobeatTRL6orbetter9.Secondly,inacompetitiveindustrytorecognisetheneedtodeliverproventechnologythatistestedforitscommercialviability.Thisinturnimpactsthetimetoandcostofexecutingagotomarketstrategy.

2.1.2 MarketReadinessLevels(MRL)

Market Readiness Levels mirror TRLs in providing scope and orientation for addressing technologicalproblem solving,while at the same time ensuring rigour in bringing ideas and innovation tomarket forcommercialexploitation.

Adoptingthe intuitivedesignofTRLs,MarketReadinessLevelsaredefinedinasimilarway.Forexample,while technology on level 9 is (historically) regarded as the final stage of technology,Market ReadinessLevels go beyondmarket entry, and require a product or service to be established and to scale in themarkettobeatlevel9whentheproductorserviceisdeemedtoachievedsustainability.

TheindividualMRLsaredefinedasfollows:

MRL Description Phase

0 Hunch.Youperceiveaneedwithinamarketandsomethingignites.

Ideation

1 Basicresearch.Youcannowdescribetheneed(s)buthavenoevidence.

2 Needsformulation.Youarticulatetheneed(s)usingacustomer/userstory.

3 Needsvalidation.Youhaveaninitial'offering';stakeholderslikeyourslideware.

4 Smallscalestakeholdercampaign.Runacampaignwithstakeholders("closed"beta–10-25friendlystakeholders)

Testing

5 Largerscaleearlyadoptercampaign.Runacampaignwithearlyadopters("open"beta–25–50intendedcustomers)

8 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/wp/2016_2017/annexes/h2020-wp1617-annex-g-trl_en.pdf 9 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/sme-instrument-frequently-asked-questions

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6 Proofoftraction. Problem/SolutionFitEarlyadoptersconvertedtopayingcustomers.Salespipeline100customers.

Traction

7 Proofofsatisfaction. Vision/FounderFitAhappyteamandhappycustomersgiveevidencetoprogress.

8 Proofofscalability. Product/MarketFitAstablesalespipelineandstrongunderstandingofthemarketallowrevenueprojections.

Scaling

9 Proofofstability. BusinessModel/MarketFitKPIssurpassedandpredictablegrowth.

Table3:MarketReadinessLevels.©2016FrankBennett

ComparingMRLandTRLbyitsnumbers,itisobviousthatgenerally,TRLandMRLscoreswillnotcoincide:In most scenarios, a market niche (or gap) is identified and its potential researched before scoping atechnologicalsolution:MRLscoresleadTRLscoresupapointintheprojectwherethesituationisinversed,howeverthedemonstrationthataprojectismovingtowarditscommercialobjectiveiswhentheTRLandMRLmoveintandem.

In other cases, it may happen that technological breakthroughs are realised without a clear picture ofmarket applicability or potential – collateral innovation. In such cases, TRL scores leadMRL scores frombeginningtoend.

2.1.3 The“FourFits”model

AnintegralpartoftheMRLmodelisthe“FourFits”modelthatdescribesdiscretestagesandmilestonesintheprocessofenactingagotomarketstrategy.WithinMTRL,thefourfitsareassignedtodistinctMTLsasdescribedabove.

TheseFourFitsaredefinedasfollows:

Problem/SolutionFit“Doestheproblemexist?Canwesolveit?Arewe‘improving’or‘creatingnew’?”

First,aprojectmusthaveclarityofpurpose.Itmustarticulatetheproblemclearly,proposeasolutionanddemonstrate how the viability of a proposed solution will be tested. This stage of development is bestcharacterised by a period of intense research, gathering evidence through interviewing stakeholdersaffectedbytheproblemandearly-stagedesigns forasolutionthataddressesaclearsetofneedsand insomecasesthatmaybevagueandlenditselftoco-creation.

Vision/TeamFit“Dowehavetherightteamtosolvetheproblem?”

Second,aprojectmusthaveaneffectiveteam.Strongprojectleadershipdependsonclarityofpurpose,anunderstandingoftherequiredskillsets(whichshouldbecomplementary),theabilitytocommunicateandmotivateateamofsuitablyqualifiedindividualswithademonstrabletrackrecordinleadership.Thequalityofaproject’soutputsorserviceofferingisonlyasgoodastheteambehindit.

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Product/MarketFit“Haveweidentifiedourtargetcustomersegment(s)?”

Third,aprojectmustmoveeverclosertomatchingitsserviceoffering,solutionsoroutputstobestservetheneedsofitstargetcustomersegment(s)andrewarditsstakeholders.TheTRL/MRLisperfectlyalignedto support the reality of converging the development activity with an understanding of how that willaddressthetargetmarketwherethemarketisripewithinnovationandamovingtarget.

Market/BusinessModelFit“Doweunderstandthemodelforexploitationandsustainability?”

TheTRL/MRLplotstheprogressandtrajectorytomarketentry.Behindthescenes isworktodevelopanunderstandingof thedynamicsofgo-to-marketand the framework todevelop thatunderstanding is thebusinessmodelcanvas.Thisisawell-knownmethodthatengagespotentiallyeveryoneinaproject,thisisrawthinkingtimeandshouldbefacilitatedbyacompetentpersonfamiliarwiththeprocessofdevelopingabusinessmodelcanvasandwhobringsobjectivitytotheprocess.Thisisnotthetimeforfancifulideasasitinforms the vital activities aligned to the evolution ofMRL over time, for example;who dowe need aspartnersandwhy?Thepartnersneededattheoutsetofaprojectwhendevelopmentisinfocustypicallychangeastheprojectassemblesitsgo-to-marketplan.

2.1.4 MTRLscores

AnMTRLscoreisdefinedastheconjointofasingleMRLscore,andasingleTRLscore,anditsnotationis(x,y)–forclarityandreadersconveniencethecolloquialformisfrequentlyused:(MRLx:TRLy).Forexample:(MRL4:TRL6).

RegularassessmentofaprojectontheTRLandMRLscalesproducesatrailofhistoricalprogress:AseriesofMTRLscoresachievedinthepast,whereoneMTRLscoreisthecollationoftheproject’sMRLandTRLataspecificpointintime.

MTRLs can be used in different ways: Used retrospectively, a trail of MTRL scores can be used as aperformancefunction.Usedproactively,MTRLscoresprojectatargetgoal,asanexpressionoftheproject’spotential,ifallconditionsareoptimallymet.Usedasadecision-makingtool,MTRLscoresrepresentgoals,oftenexpressedasbaseandstretchgoals.

2.1.5 BusinessModelCanvas

Abusinessmodelisan"abstractrepresentationofanorganisation,beitconceptual,textual,and/orgraphical,ofallcoreinterrelatedarchitectural,co-operational,andfinancialarrangementsdesignedanddevelopedbyanorganisationpresentlyandinthefuture,aswellasallcoreproductsand/orservicestheorganizationoffers,orwilloffer,basedonthesearrangementsthatareneededtoachieveitsstrategicgoalsandobjectives."10

Thebusinessmodelevolvesanditsfirstiterationmaybeskeletalandchallengingtobuild.Thisisusualandexternalfacilitationofthebuildbreaksthroughalackofunderstandingoftheprocessandreservationto

10 Al-Debei, M. M., El-Haddadeh, R., & Avison, D. (2008). "Defining the business model in the new world of digital business." In Proceedings of the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) (Vol. 2008, pp. 1-11)

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confesstowhatisunknown.Thisisallpartofdevelopingacommonunderstandingofthevaluepropositionandwhat is component (knownasbuildingblocks) to it. Thecanvaswhenpopulated isablueprint forastrategy that hasmanymoving parts (9 building blocks) that have discrete activities, yet is cognisant oftheirinterconnectiontodeliveryofthevalue.

Keytothesuccessofabusinessisthevalueprovidedbythatproductorservice.Withoutarealisticvalueproposition, the business model captured in the BMC will not get into motion. Hence the relationshipbetween the BMC building blocks “Value Propositions” and “Customer Segments” are captured in abreakout document: The “Value Proposition Canvas” (VPC, not shown in this deliverable). Together, theBMC and VPC allow any organisation to validate their business proposal, organisational structure, andallocationofresources.Ifthereisnobusinesscanvas11attheoutsetthenitismoredifficulttodeveloplaterwhena‘shoehorn’isattemptedtoreconcilealignmentofresources.

Figure1:TheBusinessModelCanvasasdefinedbyStrategyzer

2.1.6 Minimumviableproduct(MVP)

Thereareseveraldefinitionsofaminimumviableproduct;byfarthemostsuccinctandcleardefinitionisgivenbyTechopediaasfollows12:

“A minimum viable product (MVP) is a development technique in which a newproductorwebsite isdevelopedwithsufficientfeaturestosatisfyearlyadopters.The final, complete set of features is only designed and developed afterconsideringfeedbackfromtheproduct'sinitialusers.”

Thisdefinitionemphasisestwoimportantchangesofparadigms:

11https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas

12 https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27809/minimum-viable-product-mvp

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• AnMVP is not a product, but a technique, a process, amethodology playing its part in a largerstrategyofbusinessconduct.

• MVPstresses the importanceof customer/consumer influenceand feedback that shape the finalsetoffeatures

Therefore,MTRLincorporatesMVPasameanstoreachTRL9muchearlierthanusual.Atthesametime,thisincreasespressureonachievingcorrespondingmarketreadiness.

2.1.7 TechnologyAdoptionLifecycle

Themechanicsoftechnologyadoptionplayacrucialroleinthesuccessorfailureofestablishingaproductor service in the market. The most influential contribution to understanding the technology adoptionlifecycle is provided by Geoffrey A. Moore in his book “Crossing the Chasm”13where he describes thesuccess criteria of how to cross the chasm from early adopters (technology enthusiasts and visionaries)leadingthewave,topragmatistsandlateadopters.

Figure2:Thechasmintechnologyadoptionbetweenearlyadoptersandthemainstream

ThetightlinkandintegrationbetweenMVPandthetechnologyadoptionlifecyclehasledtotheleanstart-upmovement,andMTRLfirmlyplacesitselfinit.

2.2 MTRLmethodology

Knowing the elements of the framework is only one part of successfully applying MTRL in a strategicgameplay.TheBMCand its9elements (seediagramabove)are thecomponents to theactions thatarerecordedbyMTRL.WhattheMTRLdoesistoprovideameaningfulandeasytounderstandinterpretationoftheBMC–whatisourprogresstowardtheproject’sgoal?

Amongthoseprojects thathavebeenparticipants inusingMTRL, ithasprovidedclarity intermsof theircurrentMTRLpositionandwhatisarealisticandachievableMTRLgoalfortheirproject.

13 https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062292988/crossing-the-chasm-3rd-edition

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2.2.1 ProjectMTRLassessments

TheassessmentprocedureandsurroundingactivitiesaredescribedindetailinDeliverableD2.2“MappingofEUcloudservicessolutionsandtechnologicalreadiness”

TheprimarypurposeofanMTRLassessmentistoestablishacurrentposition,apointofreference,fortheproject. Similar to but far from being as formalised as organisational audits,MTRL project assessmentsformulate anMTRL score andprovideevidenceandaccount for a specific score. Part of the assessmentservice intake is a brief self-assessment resulting in a MTRL score that is then compared to the scorereasonedbytheassessorsandexplainedduringtheassessmentdeliverymeeting.

Thesecondpurposeof theassessment is toprovidevalue towards theprojects inassessing itspotentialwithinagiventimeframe.Forsomeprojects,thismeantaprojectionoftheirpotentialwithintheremaining6months of their project duration. For others, thismeant projecting a possible progression through 6-month intervals until their respective final month. Although both constitute a future projection andpotential,evidencefromallassessedprojectshighlight:

• whenapplied in the latephaseofaproject theprojectedpotentialanswers thequestion;“Whatcanwerealisticallyachieveintheremainingtime?”

• whenappliedtofledglingprojects,MTRLsetsaspirationsandgoals,determiningwhatneedstobedone.

AllprojectstakeoutoftheassessmentguidancefordecisionsandactionstohelpachievethefutureMTRLscoreassignedtotheproject.

In that sense,MTRL assessments are very similar to annual project reviews conducted by independentexternalreviewersconductedonbehalfoftheECrepresentedbytheprojectofficer.

2.2.2 Externaladvisoryandconsulting

MuchofthesuccessofMTRLliesintheorchestrationandcoordinationofitscomponents(i.e.theelementsof the toolbox). While some strategies and “proven practices” (in differentiation to best practices) areavailable and heavily promoted in the business world (for example, the lean start-upmovement), theypredominantlytendtocementalinearapproachonhowtobringaninnovationtothemarket.

Whilea linearapproachiseasiertoteachandto learn,experienceoutsideandwithinMTRLassessmentsindicateanon-linearmethodology,attheveryleastaniterativeway,providesbetterresults.

ThisareaofMTRLisinitsearlystageofdefinition;however,conversationswithinterestedearlyadoptersindicate that a long-term engagementwith an external advisor – ormentor – offers significant value inimplementingMTRLandguidingaprojecttoachieveitsultimategoal.

2.2.3 Professionalservices

As MTRL evolves and matures, new components will be added to the MTRL toolbox as required andappropriate.

Correspondingly, professional services learned in the use of theMTRLmethodologywill offer projects acompleteandholisticsupportpackageduringtheirlifetime.

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3 High-levelsummaryofresults

With a catalogue of cloud services provided by CloudWATCH2, it is possible to scale out the use of theMarket and Technology Readiness Level Framework (MTRL) to accelerate progress across the entireportfolioofprojectsmanagedbyDCCNECTUnitE.2andevenbeyond.

Between September 2016 and September 2017, the CloudWATCH2 project carried out six MTRLassessmentsaddressingspecificareaswithinthecatalogue,asfollows:

• CloudTeams(SoftwareEngineering&Development)• WAZIUP(BigDataandIoT)• MUSA(Muti-cloudapplicationsecurity)• CLARUS(CloudSecurity)• COLA(Cloudorchestration)• EUBrazilBigSEA(SmartCities)

Toelicitcandidateprojectsforanassessmentoftheirtechnologyandmarketreadiness,wereachedouttothe existing and established network of projectsmaintained by CW2 Task 2.1 through the concertationmeetings andmailing list.With permission of the projectswe describe high-level results achieved usingMTRLmethodology.

3.1 CloudTeams

CloudTeams14is a crowdsourcingplatform that connects softwaredeveloperswith software testers. ThisprojectaddressestwomainproblemsintheEuropeansoftwaremarket:findingmatchinguserstovalidatesoftwarefeaturesearly inthedevelopmentcycleandreducingtheoverallcostoftesting.This isa2-yearprojectfinishingaroundFebruary2017.CloudTeamswasscoredat(MRL4:TRL4)duetothefactthat ithad not launched its beta yet.We anticipate a rapid increase in both technology andmarket readinessupon launch,with anMTRL potential of (MRL 6-7 : TRL 6-7) due to their strong planning and ability toexecute.

TwoofCloudTeams’projectleadersjoinedtheworkshoptodiscusskeyrecommendationstoelaborateonnew commercial stakeholder groupswhichwe identified, a demand generationmodelweprovided thatwoulddrivesignupsthroughtheirwebsite,specificadviceon licensingmodelstocreaterevenuestreamssupporting the project’s sustainability objectives, refining their value proposition to include in-housedeveloperswithin a largeorganisation aswell as external softwaredevelopmentproviders, anda go-to-marketstrategythattargetedsuchpotentialusers.

CloudTeams has demonstrated exemplary progress and collaboration, and with the right support inconnecting a community of software development projects to a sufficiently diverse and engagedcommunity of testers, it is likely that CloudTeams may progress quickly through several Technology &MarketReadinesslevelsoverthecomingmonthswiththeirlaunch.

Since the assessment inNovember 2016, the CloudTeams project successfully launched its collaborativeplatformatcloudteams.euinearlyQ22017.

Atthetimeofwriting,itishosting50+projectsinmorethan20categories.Withthatinmind,CloudTeamsiscurrentlyestimatedtoscoreat(MRL6.5:TRL8).

14 https://www.cloudteams.eu/projects/

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3.2 MUSA:Multi-CloudSecureApplications

MUSA15is an ambitious project to develop solutions for what is arguably the hottest area of techdevelopment today, information security. MUSA is developing a framework for businesses deployingdistributed applications over heterogeneous cloud resources. There are known risks, and this is an areaattracting massive investment in response to those risks, on November 1st 2016 the UK announced a£1.9BninvestmenttosupportitsNationalCyberSecurityStrategy2016-21tocombatcybercrime.

TheEUGeneralDataProtectionRegulation (Regulation2016/679, ‘GDPR’) comes into forceon25thMay2018andeverybusinessandorganisationwill need to comply,or face substantial financialpenalty. It isrecognised that the rapid adoption of cloud services has not always been accompanied by rigorousevaluation of the assurance of those services and their compliance with GDPR. This directly feeds theprocessofevaluationofriskthatisrequiredofgoodgovernance.

PriortoourmeetingatCloudWATCH2workshop,MUSAhadaprojectreviewwiththeirprojectofficerthatresulted in decisions that were aligned with the recommendations reached by the independent teamreviewingtheMUSAprojectandpresentedattheworkshop.

The recommendations were arrived at after reviewing the information provided by MUSA in a pre-workshop RFI, evaluation of the information onMUSAwebsite and reviewing sources of information ofothersthathaveasimilartechnologicalfocustosolvingsecurityinthewaythatMUSAdescribe(seeabove).Thesearchrevealedsomeinterestingdifferencesintheapproachestakentodescribetheproblem/solutionandthelanguageusedinthosedescriptionsthatwereincludedintherecommendationstoMUSA.

Themainbenefitstotheprojectasrelayedduringtheworkshopare:

1. Independentconfirmationofthedecisionsreachedduringtheofficialprojectreview,e.g.focusingtheexploitationeffortsononlypartofthetoolsintheMUSAframework.

2. GuidanceonhowtobuildontheexperienceofbusinessmodelgenerationandputthatinthefocusofTRL/MRLtohavepointintimeassessmentanddevelopatrajectoryforthereassessmentoftheTRL/MRLleadinguptoproductrelease.

3. It is hardwork to keep on top ofwebsite refresh and an independent assessment brings to theattentionwhattheeyedoesnotseewhenyouaretheownerofthewebsite.

Nohardfollowactionswereagreedwiththeproject.TheprojectwillendinDecember2017,andisnowsetonanewcoursefollowingitslastprojectreview.

3.3 WAZIUP:OpenIoTandBigDataplatform,fromAfricansforAfricans

Undeniably,IoTandCloudarecomplementaryparadigmsandcanimproveeachother’sperformanceanduse when combined appropriately. The WAZIUP16project combines both with the third ingredientunequivocallyneededinthiscontext:BigData. IoTdevices,certainlywhendeployedonalargescale,canproduceBigDatawhichneedstobehandledaccordingly.

Characterised using the four Vs “Velocity”, “Volume”, “Veracity” and “Variability”, any combination ofthese characteristics requires an appropriate IT infrastructure to handle the data. Cloud-basedinfrastructuresaretherightchoiceofmeans.

15 http://www.tut.fi/musa-project/ 16 http://www.waziup.eu/

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WAZIUPaimstodevelopandprovideacloudplatform(aPaaSsolution)offeringSMEsanenvironmenttodevelopBigDataandIoTsolutions.Theproject’s intentionistoengageAfricanSMEstodevelopsolutionsfor theAfricanmarket,particularly ruralenvironments.WAZIUPstarted inFebruary2016andwillend inJanuary2019.

WAZIUP integrates a number of key components that already exist in production with supportingcommunities (TRL9), butbinds itself to a relatively youngandnewplatform that still needs to find anddemonstrateitsownsustainability.Regardless,theplatformitselfdoesexistasacurrentlabprototypeandawaitsitsuseanddeployment“inthefield”.

WAZIUPpartners includePAsandNGOsfromAfricancountries,whoformthedirect liaisontothetargetsector, the SMEs developing and producing the solutions, and the villages in rural Africa who wouldconsumethesesolutions.Aplethoraofusecases (user stories)exists,andWAZIUPselected fivekeyusecasesfortrailblazingandvalidation.

InNovember2016,wescoredWAZIUPat(MRL3:TRL4).Althoughonemightconsideritalowscoring,itreflectstheprojects’spotonstateaccordingtoitsownplan.

Without going into details of the recommendations,WAZIUP has an unusually diverse set of (potential)stakeholdersthatmaygroupintoclusterswithquitedifferentpotentialbusinessmodelsandagendas.ItisimportantforWAZIUPtodevelopthestakeholderpersonasandproducematerialtailoredtoeachofthesegroups. Likewise,different stakeholdergroupsactingasproduct/serviceproviders,mayprovidedifferentservicesandthusneedtodevelopdifferentservicecatalogues-bytrailblazingthroughpublishingblueprintservicecatalogueswiththeeffectoffasteruptakeandtractioninthemarket.

Anumberof specific recommendationsweremade related to connectionandnetworking for synergyofhardwaredevelopmentandsoftwaredevelopment.Onthecommercial front,anumberofhighpotentialfundingstakeholderswererecommended.IncorporatingrecommendationsfromtheCloudWATCH2year1review, we followed up with theWAZIUP project to see where support with the Common ExploitationBooster17maybeneeded.However,at thatpoint in time, theCommonExploitationBoosterprojectwasnotabletoacceptanymoreapplicationsuntilfurthernotice.

Since the assessment in November 2016, WAZIUP clearly improved on the value propositions thedevelopedplatformwillprovidetothosewhouseit. Inclosecollaborationwithits localprojectpartners,WAZIUP improved on understanding the needs of its direct customers (African start-ups), as well as itsindirectcustomers(i.e.thecustomersofitsdirectcustomers).Combinedwithsharpeningitsphilanthropistapproachreflectedintheoverallbusinessmodel(oftheprojectnotintendingtogeneratedirectrevenuefor its European consortium partners, but to emphasise developing and kick-starting a viable andsustainable businessmodel for African companies)WAZIUP has developed a solid understanding of thevariouselementsoftheMTRLframework(particularlytheFourFitsmodel).

Following the MVP technique, WAZIUP has already deployed five environmental prototypes (in Ghana,Senegal, and Togo)within 1 year of the project’s inception. In parallel,WAZIUP has selected 11 Africanstart-upsitwillworkwithonbringingtheirsolutionstothemarket.WAZIUPhaspartneredwithFIGLOBAL,andhasreceivednumerousprestigiousawards,forexampleatravelawardsupporting itsparticipationintheWorldEconomicForuminDavos,Switzerland.

Basedontheexceptionalprogress,weestimateWAZIUPtohaveprogressedfrom(MRL3:TRL4)to(MRL:4:TRL5)inlittlemorethan6months’time.

17http://exploitation.meta-group.com/Pagine/About-Us.aspx

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3.4 CLARUS

The CLARUS18project develops “a framework for user centred privacy and security in the cloud”.CloudWATCH2assessedtheCLARUSprojectinJune2017.

Centraltothisframeworkaretwodeliverymodels;theCLARUSproxy(aSaaSmodel)andtheCLARUSonpremisemodel (primarily a product, not a service) that will provide the value of the framework to thecustomerwithminimalintrusiontotheexistinginfrastructure.

Withoutgoingtoomuchintothetechnicaldetailsoftheproject,theCLARUSprojectpredominantlytargetsthehealthcaresectorwithitsprojectoutcomes.Whilethisisclearlyagrowingmarket,largecorporationshave laid significant claims onmarket shares, so competition on successfulmarket entry and sustainingrevenueareexpectedtobefierce.

The CLARUS project self-assessed its maturity as (MRL 5, TRL 6) whereas the CloudWATCH2 projectassigned a score of (MRL 4, TRL 6). This discrepancy highlights a common misconception in projectassessment.Whiletherearemanygoodreasonstoincludedemandsiderepresentatives(i.e.customers)inthecompositionofaprojectconsortiumtheMTRLmethodologyargues that thesecannotbeconsideredintendedcustomersinthesenseofMarketReadinessLevel5.Instead,MTRLconsidersthosedemandsiderepresentativesasfriendlystakeholders–importantactors,whoGeoffreyMooreclassifyasEarlyAdopters(having propensity for risk) of technology in his book “Crossing The Chasm” (see above). Yet, they areintrinsicallybiasedsincetheyarepaidtoperformacertaintask.Wouldthesameentitiesactthesamewayhad they not received remuneration for their efforts? This question remains to be answered for eachprojectassessment,andis inall likelihoodimpossibletoanswer.Therefore,toerronthesafeside,MTRLconsidersdemandsiderepresentativesasstakeholders,notintendedcustomers.

SpecificrecommendationstotheCLARUSprojectwerelessoftechnicalnature,sincetheconsortiumhasaveryclearpictureoftheremainingtaskstodo. Instead,recommendationsemphasisestrategicgameplay,andtodiscussimportantquestionsregardingthepositioningoftheCLARUSproductsandservicesasnicheorgeneralpurpose,andhowtoaddresscompetition, IPRand licensingquestions inamarketthatshowssimilaritiestothegoldrushinAmericainthe18thcentury.

3.5 COLA

TheCOLA19projectdevelopsatoolkit,MiCADO,thataimstosolvethecross-domainproblemofsatisfyingdynamic demand side consumptionwith elasticity on the supply side. CloudWATCH2 assessed the COLAprojectinJune2017.

Thisproblemiswell-knownintheelectricitymarket,wheretheentiretyofconsumersextendsarelativelystablebasedemanddrivenbylong-runningelectricityconsumptionneeds(e.g.industry),regularoscillatingneeds (private consumers in day-and-night consuming rhythm), aswell as almost entirely unpredictabledemandspikesinfluencedbyexternalfactorssuchasweather.Thesupplysideresponseinthisexampleislimitedinitsdynamicityduetopowerplantsrequiringsignificantlead-intimesfortheirrespectivestart-upandshut-downphases,andvolatilityofe.g.renewableenergysources(particularlyPVandwindenergy).

The same holds true for the IaaS cloud computing market, while intrinsically designed to be elastic isincreasinglyoperatingonthesameeconomicgroundsastheelectricitymarket.Whileelasticityisdesirable,onthesupplysideit ischallengingtopredictcompletelyelastic/randomusagepatternsandthattypically

18 http://www.clarussecure.eu/ 19 http://project-cola.eu/

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results inoverprovisioningwith itsassociatedcostsbeingpassedon to theconsumer. It is smallwonderthat on-demand resources cost about 4 times asmuch as regularly provisioned and reserved resources.Although at a much smaller scale, while demand side IaaS-based cloud computing has the samecharacteristicsofsustainedbaseloadandunpredictable/erraticpeakload,supplysideisalsofacinglead-intimesforprovisioninganddecommissioningtheunderpinninghardware–andapeculiarityofIaaSservicedeliveryandconsumption:Toa largeextent, IaaSresourcesarestillmanuallyprovisionedthroughaGUI,withautomationbasedona fewwellunderstoodmachine-levelmetricssuchashighCPU loadtriggeringprovisioning,bootingandintegrationofanotherVMintoaclusterofworkerVMs.

However, true application-level orchestration requires a deeper understanding of application (high)performance and associated metrics: A high CPU-load is not always an indicator of a deterioratingapplicationperformance;therefore,adifferentsetofmetricsandautomatedactionsneedtobedevelopedto allow automated IaaS provisioning according to application-level and user-defined Quality of Servicemetrics.TheCOLAproject’sMiCADOframeworkallowsexactlythat.

TheCOLAprojectself-assessedascoreof(MRL:1:TRL4),whereasweassessedtheprojectwithascoreof(MRL1:TRL3.5).Thisisacommonsituationfor30monthlongprojects:PureresearchprojectsoftenstartatTRL2orevenlower,whileResearchandInnovationProjectsoftenstartatTRL3andattimesatTRL4.Incontrast,theH2020SMEInstrumentrequirestechnologyatTRL6orhigherforapplicationstobeeligibleforSME Instrumentphase2projects:This simply reflects thedifferentstagesandaspirationsofprojectsandtheirfinancialsponsors.

Theproject clearly addressesperceivedmarketneedspains, and candescribe them,howevernot yet insatisfactorily mature user stories and scenarios. There is no discrepancy between external and internalperceptionandassessmentofthecurrentstateofaffairs,whichisencouragingforfutureprojectprogress.

Atthetimeoftheassessment,theprojecthadalmost2entireyearsofactivitiesaheadofit.WiththeIaaSmarketrapidlymaturingtowardsautilitymarket,theCOLAprojectiscurrentlystillaheadofthecurvewiththemarketapplyingitselftoCOLAforthetoolkititisdeveloping.Yet,thedynamicityofthemarketrequiresCOLAto implementeffective innovationmanagementandbealert tocompetitive threat.COLAneeds tostayveryattentive,observant,andagile in itsabilityof incorporatingnewdevelopmentsanddisbandingobsoletecomponents.

Thepotentialoftheprojectishighlypromising:Withabout24monthsstilltoworkontheplatform,COLAcertainlyhas thepotential to enter themarketwithin that timeframe:Weassessed thepotential of theMiCADOframeworkatthescore(MRL5.5:TRL8).

3.6 EUBRABigSEA

TheEUBrazilBigSEA20projectisaresearchandinnovationprojectfundedundertheEU-BRAjointfundingofthe European Commission and the Brazilian Government. CloudWATCH2 assessed the EUBRA BigSEAprojectinJune2017.

TheBigSEAproject setout to integrateno less than11components intomeaningful setsof servicesandtoolkits for its customers. Themost prominent use case is the city of Sao Paulowanting to improve itstraffic management and forecast system to provide local and international tourists with better trafficannouncements and recommendations for sightseeing, increasing the overall tourism experience in SaoPauloanditssuburbs.

20 http://www.eubra-bigsea.eu/

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TheBigSEAprojectself-assessedwithascoreat(MRL4,TRL5),whichis identicaltoourassessment.Theproject iswell aware of its challenge of needing to integrate a large number of components on heavilyvaryinglevelsofmaturity:WhilesomecomponentscanbesafelyassumedtohavereachedTRL8,orevenknocking on the door of TRL 9,many other components sit around TRL 4 or 5 at the time of theMTRLassessment. Even though some components reside on the low complexity end of the spectrum, somecomponents still require significant amounts of effort to elevate them to a level ofmaturity thatwouldallowintegrationwithothercomponentswithreasonableeffort.

Despite these challenges the project has interesting outcomes with potential – however thecommunication and value proposition argumentswere hidden gemsunder an overloadof technical andverydetailedprojectandcomponentdocumentation:Theinformationwasthere,butneededtobecarvedoutby the readers themselves. This is perhapsanovercompensating response toearlierproject reviewsandcriticismsofalackofdocumentation.

Giventherelativelyadvancedmaturityoftheprojectwithabout6monthsuntilcompletion(atthetimeofthe assessment) the suggestions for the project emphasised improving the description and scopeof thevariousservicesandaddedvaluestheprojecthasonoffer,andtoreducetheoveralltechnicalterminologyandfocusofitswebpresence.

4 Conclusions

4.1 ProjectMTRLassessments

Usingaconceptdevelopedoutsidetheproject,CloudWATCH2hastakenthenotionofMarketReadinessLeveltotheentireportfolioofsoftwareandcloud-relatedprojectsfundedthroughtheH2020programme,managedbyDGCNECTUnitE.2.

While the concept of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) is widely known among project partners(organisations) and members (personnel), Market Readiness Levels (MRL) are entirely new. Yet,participants in the public workshop at the CloudForward 2016 conference, and pursuant closed doorsassessment of the projects CloudTeams, MUSA and WAZIUP grasped the idea intuitively, immediatelydevelopinganunderstandingofboth the frameworkand themethodology, aswell as the consequentialneedforactionwithinthescopeoftheirrespectiveprojects.

Likewise,CLARUS,COLAandEUBRABigSEA immediatelyunderstood thebenefitof theMTRL frameworkand methodology. Taking EUBRA BigSEA as a representative example of the latter three projects, theimpactoftheassessmentusingtheMTRLmethodology–assess,engage,act–speaksforitself:Comparingtheproject’swebsiteatthetimeofassessmentwithhowtheprojectpresentsitselfamere2monthslater,thedifferenceisastarkasnightandday:Clear,crispseparationofprojectoutputsintointuitivecategories,and succinct yet to the point focussed definition of services, collateral research outputs and challengesprovide an easily digestible definition and explanation of the project while not hiding its challengingcomplexity.

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4.2 WhendoesapplyingMTRLyieldthebestresults?

Theanswertothatquestiondependsonhowyouuseit.

MTRL canbeusedasaquality checklist forprojectpitchesandproposals21.ThestructureofECH2020proposal templates is the result of a long development and improvement process and thus reflects theCommission’s(andtheproposalreviewers’)needtounderstandthecontext,anticipatedvalueandimpact,andcredibilityoftheexecutionplanoftheproject.ThequalityoftheinformationconveyedintheprojectproposalsdirectlyresonateswiththeFourFitsmodel (seesection2.1.3formore information).Usedthatway,MTRLcanbeusedtoassess theproject’sapplicability,capacityand tenacity (ACT)ofdelivering thedesiredresults.

MTRLcanbeusedasaspecifictooltoformulateagotomarketstrategy.Usedinthelaterphasesoftheproject, MTRL incorporates tried and true marketing and exploitation methodologies. SubstantiatedthroughassessmentsfortheCloudTeamsandCLARUSprojects,itprovidesaclearandfocusedactionplanfortheremainingtimeuntiltheprojectends,andsupportfortheprojectinexecutingthelastpushtowardscompletion. Inthatsense,thisusecasecanbearguedas“just”anotherprojectplanningapplication(seebelow),yetitissufficientlydistinctinourmindtowarrantseparateexplanation.

MTRLcanbeusedasaprojectplanningtool.Inthatcase,periodic(re-)assessmentscombinedwithgoal-settingfutureMTRLscoresforthenextphaseofaproject,themerenatureoftheplannedtrajectoryfromcurrenttofuturescoreprovidesscopeandfocusontheprojectprioritiesforthetimeahead.

4.3 WhyprojectsshoulduseMTRL:Strategicgameplayandinnovationmanagement

TheCloudWATCH2projecthasprovidedECfundedprojectswithanumberofmethodologiesonhowtheymapontothelandscapeofsoftwareservicesandcloudcomputing.Whilethefirstemployscategorisationof projects offering straight-forward answers to questions of the “if this then that” category (i.e.categorisationalongverticalmarkets,andcloudcomputingcharacteristics)thesecondmethodologyallowsprojectstoseekanswersinamoreexploratoryway:Statisticalanalysisprovidesawaytointerpretqualifiedsimilarityofprojectsasamulti-dimensionalclusteringspacewithananswerthatdependsontheviewpointoftheobserver:Answerstoquestionssuchas“Giventhefollowingscoringofimportance,arethereotherprojectsaresufficientlysimilartome,andhowclosearemynextneighbours?”.

Yet,bothmethodologiesarestaticanalysisapproaches.Thoughbeingrelevantandusefulintheirownright,bothmethodologiesmerely provideorientation in anotherwise static landscape. But, successful projectexecutionrequiresacquisitionandprocessingofdynamicandoftenvolatileinformation,makingdecisions,andactingupon them in anappropriatemanner. To anticipatemarketparticipants’ activities and futurepositions,oneneedstoobservedirectionandvelocityoftheirmovements.

Together,orientationandobservationallowformulatingoptionsandalternativesfortheexecutionstrategyofaproject,todecideonwhatthenextstepswillbe,determiningtheproject’sdirectionandspeedofitsownactions.Byactingonthesedecisionstheprojectexecutesitsstrategytowardsreachingitsgoal.Thisisknown as the strategy cycle22, which describes the mechanics, influencing factors and underpinningmotivationsofhowtoreachasetgoal:

21 This use case for MTRL has already been described in the predecessor deliverable D2.2. While we did not yet encounter an opportunity to explicitly apply MTRL as a project proposal quality tool, we remain convinced that this will notable improve project proposal quality. 22 https://medium.com/wardleymaps/on-being-lost-2ef5f05eb1ec

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1. ThemechanicsareknownastheOODAloopofJohnBoyd232. TheinfluencingfactorsofthisstrategycycleareSunTzu’s“fiveconstantfactors”24,translatedand

interpreted as: Purpose (Moral Law), Landscape (Earth), Climate (Heaven), Doctrine (Method &Discipline),andLeadership(Commander).

3. Theunderpinningmotivationsthatdrivethestrategycyclearedefinedasthewhyofpurpose,andthewhyofmovement.

Figure3:ThestrategycycleaccordingtoS.Wardley.

The European Commission has started to implement a gradual transition from static and linear projectexecution to dynamic and iterative project leadership by emphasising the need for projects to putinnovationmanagementinplace25:

“Innovationmanagement is a process which requires an understanding of bothmarket and technical problems, with a goal of successfully implementingappropriate creative ideas. A new or improved product, service or process is itstypical output. It also allows a consortium to respond to an external or internalopportunity.”

Inotherwords,innovationmanagementistheapplicationofstrategicgameplaytoECfundedprojects.

23 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop 24 https://suntzusaid.com/book/1 25 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/pse/h2020-evaluation-faq_en.pdf

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With the co-joining of Technology Readiness LevelswithMarket Readiness Levels, theMTRL frameworkandmethodology provides projects with the tools and processes to set,monitor and ultimately deliveragainstaproject’soutcomes.

By adopting MTRL, projects implement innovation management as required by the EuropeanCommission.

4.4 WhystartupsshoulduseMTRL:Helpingthemtogetthefullpicture

Webelievethat theapproachdescribed inthisdocument isofvaluenotonly forEC-fundedprojectsbutalso startups in general. Thiswill be trialledat theCloudWATCH2 final eventwith twoMTRLworkshopstargetingbothstartupsandprojects.Whetherthestartupisdevelopingastepinnovation,afieldproductorservice,orsomethingwiththepotentialofdisruptingentiremarkets,experiencestells timeandagainthat just developing it is not enough: On the road to themarket, technological innovation albeit beingimportantandattimesashowstopperand isonlyonehalfof theentirestory.Thesessionwill focusonhelpingstartupsrealisetheimportanceofMRLandpreparingthestartupforbeingsuccessfulinthemarket.

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5 LogTable

DOCUMENTITERATIONS

V0.1 Firstproject-internaldraft FrankBennett,iCloud;MichelDrescher,UOXF

V0.2 Authorsinternalreview FrankBennett,iCloud

V0.3 Draftsenttoreviewers Michel Drescher, UOXF; Nicola Franchetto, ICTL;Nicholas Ferguson, Gennaro Fontanarosa, Trust-IT

V0.4 PMBreview CloudWATCH2PMB

vFinal MichelDrescher,UOXF