Technology roadmap deployment : eine Methodik zur Unterstützung der integrierten strategischen Planung technologischer Innovationen

• Technology roadmap deployment : a method for integrated strategic planning of technological innovations

Zernial, Philip; Schröder, Hans-Horst (Thesis advisor)

Aachen : Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University (2007, 2008)
Dissertation / PhD Thesis

Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2007

Abstract

The objective of this doctoral thesis is the development of a theoretically based method for supporting integrated strategic planning of technological innovations for industrial markets. Chapter 1 gives the outline of the study. After the presentation of the necessary theoretical basics chapter 2 develops the paradigms of market pull and technology push and outside-in and inside-out planning thus providing the reader with the theoretical background upon which the proposed method for supporting integrated strategic planning of technological innovations is based. Chapter 3 employs this theoretical background to drive a set of requirements for integrated planning of strategic technological innovations. Widely used methods for strategic planning (Portfolio Analysis, Quality Function Deployment, Scenario Technique and Technology-Roadmapping) are described and evaluated against this set of requirements to ascertain their usefulness for the integrated strategic planning of technological innovations. It is concluded that none of these methods on its own is able to satisfy the requirements. A combination of Technology-Roadmapping and Quality Function Deployment looks more promising. Building on the theoretical framework developed in the preceding chapters the concept of a new rule-based method for developing a Technology-Roadmap is outlined in section 4.1: Technology Roadmap Deployment (TRD). TRD is based on scientific and practical insights into Technology-Roadmapping, but it is augmented by elements of the strongly rule-based Quality Function Deployment. This augmentation of Technology-Roadmapping with the specific strengths of Quality Function Deployment compensates for the specific weaknesses of Technology-Roadmapping. The resulting method enables the integrated strategic planning of technological innovations by systematically aligning the (external) strategic field of innovation with the (internal) strategic organizational unit, simultaneously integrating decisions about points and periods of time. The concept is specified in section 4.2. The design of the six layers of the Technology-Roadmap is presented providing solutions for the associated tasks of external planning of the market, the product, the component and the technology layer and of internal planning of the project and the resource layer. Section 4.3 evaluates the method against the requirements for integrated strategic planning of technological innovations developed in chapter 3. As the development of TRD was guided by these requirements it doesn’t come as a surprise that the evaluation is favorable. The application of the method in an industrial environment at Robert Bosch GmbH ensured continuous alignment with real world conditions during concept building and specification. Empirical evidence that the method is indeed feasible and useful is provided in chapter 5 which presents the results of a qualitative social research case study. Section 5.1 assesses TRD’s feasibility from the perspective of the user, primarily through the pilot-application. Section 5.2 evaluates the benefits using expert interviews. The results demonstrate that TRD is not only feasible, but outperforms existing methods. It is concluded that TRD is a useful new method for integrated strategic planning of technological innovations. Chapter 6 summarizes the results of the thesis complemented by a critical review and an outlook on further developments.

Institutions

• Chair of Technology and Innovation Management (TIM) [812710]