Robert Phaal

Technology roadmapping—A planning framework for evolution and revolution

Abstract Technology roadmapping is a flexible technique that is widely used within industry to support strategic and long-range planning. The approach provides a structured (and often graphical) means for exploring and communicating the relationships between evolving and developing markets, products and technologies over time. It is proposed that the roadmapping technique can help companies survive in turbulent environments by providing a focus for scanning the environment and a means of tracking the performance of individual, including potentially disruptive, technologies. Technology roadmaps are deceptively simple in terms of format, but their development poses significant challenges. In particular the scope is generally broad, covering a number of complex conceptual and human interactions. This paper provides an overview of the origins of technology roadmapping, by means of a brief review of the technology and knowledge management foundations of the technique in the context of the fields of technology strategy and technology transitions. The rapidly increasing literature on roadmapping itself is presented in terms of a taxonomy for classifying roadmaps, in terms of both organizational purpose and graphical format. This illustrates the flexibility of the approach but highlights a key gap—a robust process for technology roadmapping. A fast-start method for technology roadmapping developed by the authors is introduced and described. Developed in collaboration with industry, this method provides a means for improved understanding of the architecture of roadmaps and for rapidly initiating roadmapping in a variety of organizational contexts. This paper considers the use of the roadmaps from two main perspectives. The first is a company perspective: roadmaps that allow technology developments to be integrated with business planning, and the impact of new technologies and market developments to be assessed. The second perspective is multiorganizational: roadmaps that seek to capture the environmental landscape, threats and opportunities for a particular group of stakeholders in a technology or application area. Two short illustrative cases show the fast-start method in use in the context of disruptive technological trends from these two perspectives.

Morphology analysis for technology roadmapping: application of text mining

The practice of technology roadmapping (TRM) has received much attention from researchers and practitioners, to support planning and forecasting in companies and sectors. However, little research has focused on the support of well-organized information for more effective roadmapping and the presentation of in-depth configurations of new products or technology. This paper proposes a roadmapping methodology to assist decision-making by applying a systematic approach based on quantitative data. To this end, key information is extracted from documents such as product manuals and patent documents by text mining, which is then used to identify the morphology of existing products and technology. Morphology analysis (MA) also plays a crucial role in deriving promising opportunities for new development of product or technology by matching product and technology morphology. Therefore, MA-based TRM can enable the effective exploitation of large quantities of significant information that might otherwise be left untapped, supporting innovation by generating a comprehensive set of detailed product and technology configurations. The proposed MA-based TRM approach can be applied to both incremental and radical innovation, supporting both market pull and technology push. The method is illustrated with a detailed example for mobile phones to demonstrate its practical application.

Developing a technology roadmapping system

Technology roadmapping is becoming an increasingly important and widespread approach for aligning technology with organizational goals. The popularity of roadmapping is due mainly to the communication and networking benefits that arise from the development and dissemination of roadmaps, particularly in terms of building common understanding across internal and external organizational boundaries. From its origins in Motorola and Corning more than 25 years ago, where it was used to link product and technology plans, the approach has been adapted for many different purposes in a wide variety of sectors and at all levels, from small enterprises to national foresight programs. Building on previous papers presented at PICMET, concerning the rapid initiation of the technique, and how to customize the approach, this paper highlights the evolution and continuing growth of the method and its application to general strategic planning. The issues associated with extending the roadmapping method to form a central element of an integrated strategic planning process are considered.

Starting-up roadmapping fast

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Strategic Roadmapping: A Workshop-based Approach for Identifying and Exploring Strategic Issues and Opportunities

Abstract: Roadmapping has become one of the most widely used approaches for supporting innovation and strategy, at both firm and sector levels. A key benefit is the communication associated with the development and dissemination of roadmaps, particularly for aligning technology and commercial perspectives. This article presents a workshop-based method for supporting the identification and exploration of strategic issues and opportunities, as part of a “fast-start” approach for the rapid initiation of roadmapping. The approach has been tested in 28 applications, covering a broad range of organizational contexts. Details of the workshop approach and facilitation techniques are described.

Technology management process assessment: a case study

The effective management of technology as a source of competitive advantage is of vital importance for many organisations. It is necessary to understand, communicate and integrate technology strategy with marketing, financial, operations and human resource strategies. This is of particular importance when one considers the increasing cost, pace and complexity of technology developments, combined with shortening product life cycles. A five‐process model provides a framework within which technology management activities can be understood: identification, selection, acquisition, exploitation and protection. Based on this model, a technology management assessment procedure has been developed, using an “action research” approach. This paper presents an industrial case study describing the first full application of the procedure within a high‐volume manufacturing business. The impact of applying the procedure is assessed in terms of benefits to the participating business, together with improvements to the assessment procedure itself, in the context of the action research framework.

Technology roadmapping¿developing a practical approach for linking resources to strategic goals

Abstract As technological development increases in pace and complexity, it is ever more important for companies to understand the link between the technological resources at their disposal, their effective deployment, and the business goals that they aim to achieve. The cost of bringing inappropriate technologies to market may be damaging for an otherwise successful firm, and it is imperative to make the right choices at all stages of the product life cycle. Technology roadmapping offers a way to explore this linkage and, together with the associated supporting analysis, is a powerful means of identifying the key required technologies. Research to date has not revealed a generally applicable roadmapping approach in the public domain, and individual company experience is fragmented and inaccessible. This paper describes the development of a particular approach to technology roadmapping. It is intended to enable any organization to assess the value of roadmapping in its own particular context by means of a rapid first application. The experience gained from the research cases is discussed, providing some guidance for further applications.

Developing a process for the relative valuation of R&D programmes

This paper addresses the issue of R&D programme prioritisation within a manufacturing company in the aerospace industry, in the context of an overall framework for technology management. A review of approaches to R&D project selection leads into a recent case, which describes how the company developed a practical methodology. The benefits of the process and the relevance of the academic contribution are discussed, leading to a practical checklist for in-company development of a prioritisation process.

TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT IN MANUFACTURING BUSINESS: PROCESS AND PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT

Abstract The role of technology as a source of competitive advantage is becoming increasingly important to manufacturing industry, as the cost and rate of technological advances increase. Effective technology management requires the integration of technical, marketing, human resource and financial functions. In addition, it is essential for strategic and operational processes to be integrated. This paper describes the structure and application of a technology management assessment procedure, based on a five-process technology management framework (identification, selection, acquisition, exploitation and protection). The procedure provides a means of revealing and assessing the full range of technology management practices in a manufacturing firm. The method is based on a flexible top-down approach, which spans both strategic and operational issues.

Visualising strategy: a classification of graphical roadmap forms

Roadmapping is widely used to support innovation, strategic planning and policy development, at company, network, sector and national levels. More than 900 examples of public-domain roadmap documents have been collected in order to explore their purpose and structure. Of particular interest are the graphical forms that roadmaps can take, because of their potential for supporting communication and dissemination. More than 400 examples have been extracted from the collection of roadmap documents, in order to examine their format. A classification is proposed, focusing on the underlying information structures apparent in these roadmaps, illustrated with 20 representative specimens.