What is Technology Roadmapping?
Technology roadmapping is a collaborative foresight process that solicits opinions from various experts to create a best guess of a development timeline for a particular technology. Technology roadmaps tend to look between a few years and a couple decades into the future. Beyond this, prediction becomes very hazy and speculative. Technology roadmapping is a process usually undertaken by consultants to large companies interested in the future of technology in their market niche. Some technologies may be too expensive to implement as soon as they are conceived, but will bring a return on investment when the cost of the underlying materials or manufacturing processes drops below a critical threshold. For instance, the manufacturers of computer chips realize that eventually the use of photolithography to create integrated circuits will reach a point of diminishing returns, after which it would be prudent to have alternate plans in place for making better chips. Some technology roadmapping
Technology roadmapping is a needs-driven technology planning process to help identify, select, and develop technology alternatives to satisfy a set of product needs. It brings together a team of experts to develop a framework for organizing and presenting the critical technology-planning information to make the appropriate technology investment decisions and to leverage those investments. (For an example of this teaming process at the industry level see Garcia, Introduction to Technology Roadmapping: The Semiconductor Industry Association’s Technology Roadmapping Process.) Given a set of needs, the technology roadmapping process provides a way to develop, organize, and present information about the critical system requirements and performance targets that must be satisfied by certain time frames. It also identifies technologies that need to be developed to meet those targets. Finally, it provides the information needed to make trade-offs among different technology alternatives. Roadmap
Roadmapping, also known as ‘route mapping’ is a key technology management tool that enables companies to link their technological capability to product and business plans so that strategy and technology development go hand-in-hand. Technology roadmaps provide a graphical framework for exploring and communicating strategic plans. They comprise a layered, time-based chart, linking market, product and technology information, enabling market opportunities and technology gaps to be identified.
Technology roadmapping is a planning process that is driven by the projected needs of tomorrow’s markets. It helps companies to identify, select and develop technology alternatives to satisfy future service, product or operational needs. It brings together a team of experts to develop a framework for organizing and presenting the information to make the right technology investment decisions. And it provides a way to leverage those investments. Given a set of needs, technology roadmapping defines the critical requirements and performance targets that must be satisfied by certain time frames if a company is to meet the demands of future markets. It also identifies the technologies a company should develop to meet those targets. Finally, it provides the information needed to make trade-offs among different technology alternatives. The concept has gained widespread recognition in U.S. business. The American firm Motorola, for example, has seen tremendous returns on the technology roadmappi
Why use roadmapping in product development and what are the challenges of implementation? • Boeing Case Example: Aligning Product Development and Technology Activities to the Right Market Opportunities Strategic Roadmapping— Interview with Duane Oda, Product Development Chief, Commercial Airplanes, The Boeing Company. • Boston Scientific Case Example: Using Technology Roadmapping for Product Planning—Interview with Richard Traxler, Manager of Technology Planning at Boston Scientific Corporation. • Roadmapping Metrics & Indicators • Brief Company Examples: Rockwell Automation— (Creating Roadmaps in Stages), Motorola (Roadmapping for Resource Allocation) • Audiosession Summary: Peer-based discussion from leading practitioners about how-to’s and available tools. • Further Resources: List of noted experts, websites, downloadable articles, and tool providers with contact information. • Presentations: Boeing, Boston Scientific, Agere Systems • Bonus Paper: How to use roadmapping for global p
