A Forrester Wave is a buyer's guide to a technology market, built by an analyst using one public methodology for every participating vendor. Forrester describes four stages, about 18 weeks from kickoff to publication, and three inputs: a questionnaire, a demo and customer references. It is analysis and opinion, not a lab test.
The people involved
Forrester's methodology page names the roles. An analyst sets the inclusion criteria, the evaluation criteria and the scoring framework. A research director works with the analyst and reviews every score and vendor profile. A project manager keeps the schedule and is the main contact for vendors.
On the vendor side there is a response team that gives feedback on criteria, supplies demos and product information, and names reference customers. Those references are interviewed or surveyed by Forrester.
The four stages
- Planning and kickoff. The analyst defines scope, identifies vendors, drafts inclusion and evaluation criteria, and invites vendors. Forrester says the criteria are meant to be differentiating, not exhaustive.
- Gathering data. Vendors send a questionnaire, give a strategy and product demonstration, and provide references.
- Scoring and feedback. The analyst writes explanations for each scoring scale, scores vendors and weights criteria by importance. Vendors can give feedback on scores and profiles.
- Courtesy preview and publication. Vendors get a preview about five days before publication. No new information is accepted at that point.
What the timeline tells a buyer
Forrester says the whole process takes about 18 weeks. Vendors typically get around four weeks to return the questionnaire and reference names, then hold briefings within two weeks, and see initial scores six to seven weeks after that.
Two things follow. First, the picture is a snapshot. Forrester says it presents each product as publicly represented when data collection closes, and only products generally available by the questionnaire due date are evaluated. A feature announced after kickoff may not be reflected.
Second, a report published today describes a market as it stood months earlier. In a fast category that gap matters, so check the data collection date before you rely on a capability claim.
What to do with this when you shop
Use a Wave to learn the shape of a market and the criteria an analyst thinks matter. Then write your own list of requirements, weight them for your own risk, and test the products you shortlist. A scoring framework built for a whole market cannot know your build system, your languages or your approval process.
When a vendor mentions a Wave, ask which edition, which publication date and which criteria they are citing. Those three answers tell you more than the headline.
Questions to put to a vendor that cites a Wave
A few questions turn the process above into something you can use in a call.
- Did you take part in the questionnaire and demo, or was the evaluation based on public information?
- Which reference customers were interviewed, and are they similar to us in size and stack?
- What shipped after the data collection date that the report does not reflect?
- Which criteria in the report matter least to a buyer like us?
None of these is hostile. A vendor that has run a Wave knows the answers, and the answers show how closely its own picture of the product matches the written evaluation.
Quick check
Is a Forrester Wave a hands-on product test?
Not as the methodology page describes it. Inputs are a vendor questionnaire, a demo that may follow Forrester-developed scenarios, and reference interviews, combined with the analyst's market expertise.
How current is a Wave?
It reflects products as publicly represented when data collection closed, and only generally available products count. Check the publication date and treat it as a snapshot.
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Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
