Roadmapping for Strategy and Innovation

Technology and its exploitation are fundamental to the success of many organisations - however effective management of this valuable resource can be challenging. Roadmapping provides a structured approach to manage these challenges efficiently so that well-informed decisions can be made and appropriate actions taken. Illustrated by examples from a range of sectors, this book provides both practitioners and academics with a comprehensive introduction to the concept and practice of roadmapping. Used to support strategy and innovation in companies and other organisations, roadmapping enables key technical and commercial perspectives to be captured and aligned around a common purpose. Communication is a key benefit, enabled by the visual nature of roadmaps. The approach can be readily customised to address the particular strategic needs and issues facing individual firms. The book describes practical approaches for supporting the efficient initiation of roadmapping, for both products and other more general strategic applications. These `fast-start', workshop-based methods have been developed and tested over a period of ten years, in a wide variety of situations. Implementation factors are considered, including how roadmapping can be used with other strategic management tools and processes, and how roadmaps can be developed to support the communication of strategy. The authors are all based at the Centre for Technology Management at the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing, an international centre of expertise in roadmapping. Building on more than a decade of research, the techniques described have been applied in over 200 projects around the world, in collaboration with companies, government agencies and other organisations.