Centre for Technology Management

Practical frameworks for technology management and planning

R Phaal, CJP Farrukh and DR Probert

Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, CB2 1RX, UK

Abstract

Technology is an important strategic asset for many firms, and there is an increasing need to include technological considerations in strategy and planning processes. However, establishing and communicating the linkages between technology resources and company objectives presents a continuing challenge for many organizations. In addition, there is currently a lack of coherent and holistic frameworks for supporting understanding of technology management issues, with research efforts being somewhat fragmented. A key challenge associated with developing a technology management framework is that the subject is both multidisciplinary (from an academic perspective), and multifunctional (from an industrial perspective).

This paper describes a set of frameworks that have been developed, seeking to address these difficulties, bringing together theoretical and practical perspectives. The frameworks incorporate a number of elements, including commercial, product and resource 'levels', knowledge flows, business system elements (processes and context), and time. The theoretical foundations of the frameworks are described, together with an example of how it can be applied in practice, based on application of the technology roadmapping approach, supporting product and technology planning in the firm.