What Is Technology Roadmapping?

What is Technology Roadmapping?

Technology roadmapping is a process for strategic planning in innovation. Its role in a world class innovation system is to underpin the quality of innovation strategy and leadership.

A technology roadmap is a planning and communication tool that identifies innovation needs and development paths.

A technology roadmap describes an organisation’s innovation trajectory into the future and provides a common, agreed description of its direction and objectives and the achievements that will be required to realise these. This starts with identifying broad themes in an organisation’s innovation portfolio but extends to defining the advancement of individual products over time.

Technology roadmapping considers the constant evolution of unmet customer needs and technological capabilities both across lifecycles and through change in response to shifts impacting the economy and society. Successive major generations of innovation are mapped on a timeline that projects into the future for 20 years or more.

The greatest value to be derived from technology roadmapping is not the roadmap report but participation in the process itself. The opportunity for dialogue, collaboration and innovation leadership (to be both given and received) is the key benefit. As a result, achievement of major innovation stretch objectives emerging from the dialogue becomes possible.