Search

Technology roadmapping is considered to be a flexible approach, which is largely used within industry for strategic and long-range planning. Roadmap in a graphical form is a powerful communication means, as it presents information in a condensed form.

The engineering design process transforms stakeholder needs into design specifications. This study focuses on the engineering design process for systems of products and services known as product-service systems (PSS) and proposes a novel way to analyze PSS ideas by four characteristics: customer perceived value level, connectivity number, type and degree of connectivity, and configuration type. The process to apply this characterization scheme examines the interdependencies within a PSS and between the PSS and its environment and holistically incorporates the interests of customers, end-users, and social and environmental stakeholders early in the development process. This process clarifies design specifications in seven cases across five industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings from four case studies on stakeholder engagement in new healthcare information and communication technology (ICT) product-service system (PSS) development. The degree of connectivity between the new healthcare ICT PSS and its intended operating environment has emerged to be an important contextual factor that may impact decisions concerning stakeholder engagement in the early stage development process. The four propositions of stakeholder identification and engagement in the development process, put forward in this article, provide important directions for future work in exploring the implications of PSS characterization in early-stage new healthcare PSS development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how supply and demand interact during industrial emergence. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on previous theorising about co-evolutionary dynamics, exploring the interaction between supply and demand in a study of the industrial emergence of the commercial inkjet cluster in Cambridge, UK. Data are collected through 13 interviews with professionals working in the industry. Findings – The paper shows that as new industries emerge, asynchronies between technology supply and market demand create opportunities for entrepreneurial activity. In attempting to match innovative technologies to particular applications, entrepreneurs adapt to the system conditions and shape the environment to their own advantage. Firms that successfully operate in emerging industries demonstrate the functionality of new technologies, reducing uncertainty and increasing customer receptiveness. Research limitations/implications – The research is geographically bounded to the Cambridge commercial inkjet cluster. Further studies could consider commercial inkjet from a global perspective or test the applicability of the findings in other industries. Practical implications – Technology-based firms are often innovating during periods of industrial emergence. The insights developed in this paper help such firms recognise the emerging context in which they operate and the challenges that need to overcome. Originality/value – As an in depth study of a single industry, this research responds to calls for studies into industrial emergence, providing insights into how supply and demand interact during this phase of the industry lifecycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the conditions that influence technology acquisition through collaboration. From the analysis of semi-structured interviews and 11 case studies, we developed a technology acquisition framework that stresses the supplier involvement in the process and the factors that influence the outcomes. On the basis of this framework, we provide practical insights for suppliers to support their customers in order to raise the probability of success in collaborative projects. Our results suggest that effective acquisition of technology by means of collaboration is achieved by the combination of three conditions: effective partnership management, effective execution of the co-development project and effective transference of the technology to the recipient system in the acquiring firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic planning can be an arduous and complex task; and, once a plan has been devised, it is often quite a challenge to effectively communicate the principal missions and key priorities to the array of different stakeholders. The communication challenge can be addressed through the application of a clearly and concisely designed visualisation of the strategic plan – to that end, this paper proposes the use of a roadmapping framework to structure a visual canvas. The canvas provides a template in the form of a single composite visual output that essentially allows a ‘plan-on-a-page’ to be generated. Such a visual representation provides a high-level depiction of the future context, end-state capabilities and the system-wide transitions needed to realise the strategic vision. To demonstrate this approach, an illustrative case study based on the Australian Government's Defence White Paper and the Royal Australian Navy's fleet plan will be presented. The visual plan plots the in-service upgrades for addressing the capability shortfalls and gaps in the Navy's fleet as it transitions from its current configuration to its future end-state vision. It also provides a visualisation of project timings in terms of the decision gates (approval, service release) and specific phases (proposal, contract, delivery) together with how these projects are rated against the key performance indicators relating to the technology acquisition process and associated management activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Industrial emergence is a broad and complex domain, with relevant perspectives ranging in scale from the individual entrepreneur and firm with the business decisions and actions they make to the policies of nations and global patterns of industrialisation. The research described in this article has adopted a holistic approach, based on structured mapping methods, in an attempt to depict and understand the dynamics and patterns of industrial emergence across a broad spectrum from early scientific discovery to large-scale industrialisation. The breadth of scope and application has enabled a framework and set of four tools to be developed that have wide applicability. The utility of the approaches has been demonstrated through case studies and trials in a diverse range of industrial contexts. The adoption of such a broad scope also presents substantial challenges and limitations, with these providing an opportunity for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes and reflects on the development and application of the Expert Scan, a semi-structured visual mapping process, which can be used to record historical interview-based accounts of industrial, organisational and technological change. The process has been applied and refined through 13 interviews with experienced professionals in commercial inkjet in the UK. It has been found to offer significant advantages over the non-visual interview, including improving interviewee engagement and providing opportunities for real-time evaluation. Post-interview, data obtained from the Expert Scan can be synthesised with other scans or used as an input to future-oriented roadmapping activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology is a key driver for innovation and sustainable business growth. Whilst industrial interest in the area is growing, from an academic perspective the conceptual basis of the subject of technology management is fragmented and poorly defined. This paper describes a framework that has been developed to support practical and theoretical understanding of the management of technological innovation. At the heart of the framework are two sets of business processes that are important for effective technology management, including the three 'core' processes of strategy, innovation and operations, together with a set of five supporting technology management processes: identification, selection, acquisition, exploitation and protection. The framework supports the integration of these processes by focusing on the 'pull' and 'push' knowledge flows that need to occur between the commercial and technological functions within the firm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]