Selection the most appropriate excavation technology is one of the most important tasks during the design and construction of various engineering objects in rock masses. A review of current literature on the development, characteristics and use of individual methods to evaluate the application of rock mass excavation technologies, it was concluded that stated first of all depends on the characteristics of intact rock, discontinuity and rock mass. According to these features, the rock mass is classified using different empirical classifications for assessing the applicability and efficiency of excavation technologies, but there is no uniform and generally acceptable method. Therefore, a model has been developed to assess the applicability of the available surface technologies and their mechanisms of excavation considering the characteristics of the solid rock mass. By analysing the characteristics, differences and possibilities of applying existing methods for assessing the possibility of excavation, the effects of certain properties of intact rock and rock mass on the technologies and mechanisms of excavation have been identified, and the most important properties were determined. A procedure for the qualitative characterization of rock mass has been defined for assessment the malleability of the same to destruction and excavation.In addition, the possible limitations of certain excavation technologies were investigated, and a classification of mechanical excavation technologies according to the basic mechanism of extracting a piece of rock from a rock mass was introduced. Based on the analysis of the collected information and data, as well as the additional investigations, the method for preliminary assessment of the rock mass excavation malleability was first proposed, over measured shear seismic waves velocities. A detailed assessment is made by developing a unique model for ranking and assessing the applicability of surface technologies for solid rock mass excavation, based on intact rock material properties, rock structure and rock mass properties, with the possibility of using additional set conditions and specificity of excavation. The model is based on multicriteria analysis for decision making and assessing of the most optimal variant of the solution, using the PROMETHEE method. The validation of the proposed method and model was carried out at several suitable locations, which were selected in order to encompass as many types of solid rock mass typical for the Croatia territory. At selected study sites investigations were carried out through the characterization and evaluation of rock mass, and the obtained parameters were used as input data for analysis. The assessments of the proposed methods were compared with actually applied excavation technologies, and a very high level of matching was found.