Centre for Technology Management

Technology roadmapping: linking resources to strategic goals

D.R. Probert, C.J.P. Farrukh and R. Phaal

Centre for Technology Management, Institute for Manufacturing, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, UK

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 and the business goals they aim to achieve. The cost of bringing inappropriate technologies to market may destabilise an otherwise successful firm, and it is imperative to make the right choices at all stages of the product lifecycle. Technology roadmapping offers a means to explore this linkage, and together with supporting analysis, a powerful means to identify the key required technologies. However there has been no generally applicable approach to the technique available in the public domain, and individual company experience is fragmented and inaccessible. This paper describes a particular approach to technology roadmapping, which has been developed as part of a wider research project. The technique is intended to enable any organisation to assess the value of roadmapping in its own particular context. The lessons from the research cases are discussed, together with implications for wider application.

Keywords: Technology management, roadmapping, strategic planning, innovation