Evaluations
Control & DirectionEvaluations are the core unit of work in Platform Evaluation. Each evaluation defines the platforms or tools being compared, the criteria they are measured against, and the evaluators responsible for scoring. Scores are weighted and aggregated into a final ranking, and the evaluation owner records the selected option along with a written rationale. The result is a defensible, auditable decision record.
Evaluations integrate with Projects (project linkage), Criteria Library (reusable criteria), Stack & Coverage (security technology tagging), and the Workflow Engine (workflow automation).
Evaluations list
Navigate to Platform Evaluation > Evaluations to view all evaluations. The list supports both card view and table view toggles, so you can switch between a visual summary and a dense data layout. Use the status filter to narrow the list to evaluations in a specific phase. The stats bar at the top of the page provides a quick count of evaluations by status.
Creating an evaluation
Create the evaluation
Click New Evaluation to open the creation form. Provide a title and optional description to describe what is being evaluated and why. The evaluation is created in Draft status. You can optionally link it to a project and tag relevant security technologies.
Add options
Options represent the platforms, vendors, or tools being compared. For each option, provide a name, optional description, and an optional vendor link pointing to the vendor’s website or product page. Add as many options as needed for the comparison.
Define criteria with weights
Criteria define what you are measuring each option against. For each criterion, provide a name, description, and a weight that reflects its relative importance. You can add criteria manually or pull them from the Criteria Library to reuse standardized definitions. Criteria are displayed in sort order and can be reordered as needed.
Assign evaluators and observers
Add evaluators who will score the options. Each evaluator is a user who will provide independent scores across all criteria and options. Add observers for stakeholders who need visibility into the evaluation but will not score. Both evaluators and observers are tracked with the user who added them.
Score the options
Evaluators navigate to the evaluation detail page and enter scores for each option-criterion combination. Each score includes a numeric score value and optional notes explaining the rationale. The system enforces one score per evaluator per option-criterion pair.
Review weighted totals
The evaluation detail page displays a score matrix showing all scores by option and criterion. Weighted totals are calculated automatically by multiplying each score by its criterion weight and summing across criteria. This produces a ranked comparison of all options.
Complete the evaluation
The evaluation owner selects the winning option in the selected option field and writes a selection rationale explaining the decision. The decided at timestamp and decided by user are recorded automatically. Set the status to Completed to finalize the evaluation.
Evaluation detail page
The evaluation detail page is the central workspace for a single evaluation. It displays the following sections:
- Options — the platforms being compared, each with name, description, and vendor link
- Criteria — the weighted criteria used for scoring, displayed with their weight values
- Score matrix — a grid of scores from all evaluators across all option-criterion pairs
- Weighted totals — the calculated totals for each option, derived from scores multiplied by criterion weights
- Results — the selected option and written selection rationale once the evaluation is completed
Status lifecycle
Evaluations move through a defined set of statuses as work progresses.
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | The evaluation has been created but options, criteria, or evaluators are still being configured |
| In Progress | Scoring is underway; evaluators are actively entering their assessments |
| Completed | A decision has been made; the selected option and rationale are recorded |
| Cancelled | The evaluation was abandoned before completion |
Criteria proposals
Evaluators can propose new criteria if they believe the evaluation is missing an important dimension. A proposal includes a suggested name, description, weight, and optional tags. Proposals are submitted in Pending Review status and must be reviewed by the evaluation owner.
The owner can approve a proposal, which creates a new criterion on the evaluation linked to the proposal, or reject it with a written rejection reason. This ensures evaluators can contribute to the evaluation framework without unilaterally modifying it.
| Proposal Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending Review | The proposal has been submitted and awaits the owner’s decision |
| Approved | The proposal was accepted and a corresponding criterion was created |
| Rejected | The proposal was declined; a rejection reason is recorded |
Score visibility
The Show Individual Scores toggle on an evaluation controls whether evaluators can see each other’s scores. When disabled, evaluators only see their own scores and the aggregated weighted totals. When enabled, all individual scores are visible to everyone on the evaluation. Disable this setting when you want independent scoring without anchoring bias.
Linking to projects and security technologies
Evaluations can be linked to a project to connect the evaluation to a broader initiative in Execution Tracking. You can also tag evaluations with security technologies from Stack & Coverage to indicate which technology categories are being assessed. These links provide cross-module traceability and help surface evaluations in the context of ongoing work.
Permissions
Managing evaluations requires the platformEvaluation:manage permission. Users with this permission can create evaluations, add options and criteria, assign evaluators and observers, and complete evaluations. Evaluators need the platformEvaluation:score permission to enter scores. Users with read-only access can view evaluations and their results but cannot make changes.