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

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.