Tool: the solution scorecard

Reading mode

EngineerDecision-maker

Choosing an observability solution is a commitment for several years. This scorecard compares up to three options on six criteria, with the same standard for a SaaS offer, a self-managed open source solution or a hybrid architecture. It deliberately starts with identical scores: no real solution is prefilled, it is up to you to score them, evidence in hand.

Option names

Criterion	Weight	Option A	Option B	Option C
Portabilityingests and exports data in OpenTelemetry, open formats		1234	1234	1234
Exit costmigrating history, dashboards, alerts; clause in the contract		1234	1234	1234
Data sovereigntylocation, applicable law, known subprocessors		1234	1234	1234
Cost predictability12- and 36-month simulations on your volumes, caps		1234	1234	1234
Support and service levelsguaranteed response times, named contact, active community		1234	1234	1234
EcosystemCI/CD, ITSM, security integrations; open API		1234	1234	1234

A score of 1 on a criterion weighted at least

Scores: 1 weak, 2 fair, 3 good, 4 excellent.

Result

Score from evidence (proof of concept on your data, contract, written answer to a requirements document) and keep the source of each score. Apply the same grid to a SaaS offer, a self-managed open source solution and a hybrid one. Nothing is sent: the grid stays in this browser.

Things to try

1. Name your options and set the weights before scoring. Weights set after the fact mostly serve to justify a choice already made.
2. Give an option a score of 1 on data sovereignty: if the criterion’s weight reaches the eliminating threshold, the option is set aside, even with the best score.
3. Bring two options within five points of each other: the scorecard refuses to name a winner. The proof of concept on your data is what decides.
4. Set portability to 0: you will see how much the ranking depends on it. In my view, it is the criterion that conditions all the others in the long run.

The rule to remember

I consider that the factor that weighs most on exit cost is not the commercial model but the instrumentation: collecting with OpenTelemetry lets you change backends without re-instrumenting. This is an opinion, not a measurement; your costed exit plan will confirm it or not for your case. Require a proof of concept on your own data and a costed exit plan, whatever the option.

Going further: the governance lesson of the CIO path, the FinOps lesson and the business dimension.

BridgesWhat this page changes beyond the technical team.

BusinessValue, cost, risk

A weighted, sourced scorecard holds up in front of a CFO and a procurement team; falling for a demo does not.

OrganizationWho decides, who owns

Weights are decided before scoring, in committee, with security and procurement. Set afterwards, they serve to justify a choice already made.

PeopleTeams, on-call, skills

Scoring from evidence rather than impressions defuses turf wars between fans of a given tool.

Business linesProduct, finance, risk, customer

Sovereignty and cost predictability are often the criteria that matter most to leadership and legal: the scorecard gives them an explicit weight.

Why bridges matter →