Are you investing in the tools that actually move your strategy forward, or just reacting to what's popular?
With new technology launching and pressure coming from vendors, boards, and internal champions, it’s not always clear what to prioritize. And sometimes, the shiniest option gets the budget simply because it has momentum.
That’s where segmenting domains into three categories can help: Foundational, Emerging, and Exploratory.
The Technology Prioritization Index (TPI) is Galson’s proprietary scoring system. It helps leaders evaluate and compare technology domains using real business criteria, not vendor hype or trend cycles. Each domain is evaluated across seven business-relevant criteria:
These help you compare technologies quickly using consistent data and practical framing.
In the Generative AI mini report, for example, the domain earned a total score of 13 out of 21. It ranked as an emerging domain, meaning it’s gaining traction but still has limitations in areas like integration and ROI.
Here’s how the segments work and what each one signals.
These are the platforms and technologies that are already well established. They’ve proven their business value, show strong adoption across industries, and tend to have clear use cases and mature ecosystems.
They may not feel exciting anymore, but that’s the point. Foundational domains are where stability, ROI, and lower risk converge.
In the TPI, these are the domains that tend to score high across factors like proven use cases, maturity, and ease of integration. You’ll often see Cloud, API Economy, or Big Data here.
Emerging domains are the ones starting to show strong potential. Adoption is growing. The ecosystem is evolving. Use cases are expanding.
These technologies are past the experimentation stage, but not quite universal. They’re often where SMBs start to see early wins if adoption is timed right.
In the TPI, domains like Generative AI, DevOps, and Low Code/No-Code often land here. They’re moving fast. And while they may not be as stable as foundational tools, they offer a clear path to impact when paired with the right use case.
Exploratory domains are in the early stages. They may be promising, but adoption is still low, ecosystems are fragmented, or business use cases are not yet proven.
These are the spaces to watch, but not necessarily to implement right away unless you’re in R&D, a niche sector, or willing to take on more risk.
Quantum computing is a great example. It gets a lot of attention, but very few organizations are seeing ROI from it today. The same can be said for some categories of machine learning that are still largely experimental.
In the TPI, exploratory domains often score lower across integration, maturity, or ROI. That’s not a negative. It just means it’s early.
The value of segmenting domains like this isn’t to box them in. It’s to give you and your team a shared language for what’s worth exploring now, what to test soon, and what deserves long-term attention.
You’re not supposed to chase all three categories at once. In fact, we often recommend choosing just one or two exploratory domains to monitor while focusing investments on foundational or emerging areas that support short-term goals.
When your team has clarity on how each domain is positioned, planning gets easier. Discussions shift from “Should we be doing this?” to “Is now the right time for us?”
And that’s where better decisions begin.
Segmenting domains into Foundational, Emerging, and Exploratory isn’t about labeling ideas. It’s about giving your team a common way to discuss timing, risk, and impact. Use it as a guide when you’re planning, prioritizing, or having tough conversations about what to move forward with.
We built the TPI to help organizations cut through noise and focus on what’s actually working. We make tech make sense.
Foundational domains are widely adopted and stable. Emerging domains are gaining traction but may require closer evaluation. Exploratory domains are early-stage and less proven in business environments.
It helps you prioritize tech adoption based on readiness and business impact. It also makes it easier to communicate strategy across departments.
Domains are reviewed regularly and updated based on shifts in adoption, performance, and business impact.