The framework selected has been chosen to elicit information to inform the generation of v.3 of the FV Technology Roadmap from a diverse range of stakeholders. This approach will also allow the investigation of the impact on the roadmapping process, of information that is not currently elicited from participants.
• Initial pilot study
• Development of data collection framework
• Analysis of data to identify gaps in information
• External resource search
• Develop an information protocol using information from individuals,
organisations and externally held resources to inform the development of the sector level technology roadmapping process
• Evaluate the technology roadmap developed from the data collection element of the process, with stakeholders and members of the FV thematic groups
3.3.1 Researcher Involvement
It is appropriate that the researcher has no prior subject knowledge. An outsider to the subject domain can ensure a high level of validity by reducing bias and bring
experience of information management to the process. The analysis of data will be carried out by the same researcher once data collection period has been completed.
3.3.2 Fulfilling the Objectives of the Study
The aims and objectives of the study are presented in Chapter 1. This section explores the means of fulfilling the objectives. The aims of the research included the
investigation of the role of technology roadmapping within commercial or industrial domains at a sector or industrial level. In addition, the development of an information
protocol to support the generation of a technology roadmap for identified stakeholders is explored.
i). Objective 1: Establish technical, economic and political issues
To establish external issues that influence the development of a sector level technology roadmap a review of the documentation relevant to the UK automotive industry available in the public domain was required. Using a list of keywords supplied by two members of the core roadmapping team who brought industry experience to the roadmapping process, a framework of all the pertinent issues could be created, which could be used as a validation tool during the data analysis stage of the process as well as being used for the identification of gaps in the data collected.
An intention of the research was to investigate if an UK automotive sector level roadmap could be developed as a stand alone entity or if meaning and validity could only be achieved if the information represented was linked to high level drivers such as technical, economic and political issues. In order to become familiar with the data collected it was important to manually
transcribe and analyse the output from the workshops and the questionnaires. It was decided to store the results of the analysis process in an Excel® file as an element of the data management stage. This electronic storage medium was also chosen because a degree of data manipulation could be carried out prior to representation and to support data sharing all the roadmapping team had access to Excel®. Other reasons that influenced the use of Excel® is that files can be directly imported into Vision Strategist™ technology
roadmapping software which would mitigate the need for duplicate data entry, and also it was important to be able to share the data with stakeholders who were unable to access the roadmap using the Vision Strategist™ software due to licensing issues.
ii). Objective 2: Identify existing technology roadmaps
In order to understand the process that has been used to develop a sector level technology roadmap, it was a critical element of the research to study existing sector level roadmaps and the process of how they had evolved. Distinct
elements involved in the process can be divided into three areas, the first being concerned with the maturity of the technology that the roadmap was based upon, the second consisting of identification of how the data had been collected, and by whom, the third area was concerned with how the sector level roadmap and subsequent versions were perceived within the stakeholder and wider industrial and commercial community. This activity informed the development of the data collection stage of the technology roadmapping process.
iii). Objective 3: Identify a range of organisational and industry needs By identifying a range of organisational and industry needs within the UK automotive sector the research hoped to understand how these issues affect the development of sector level technology roadmaps. The wide range of diverse stakeholders that make up the UK automotive sector include academia, OEM’s, parts manufacturers and industry stakeholders who all have different requirements regarding outcomes from the technology roadmapping process. The results of the data collection process would illustrate and inform the information representation stage of the roadmapping process to determine if multiple representation views are viable.
iv). Objective 4: Investigate the potential use of an information protocol to enhance the technology roadmapping process
Researching the literature on the technology roadmapping process does not in general, provide any generic methods for developing roadmaps at either organisational or sector level. Those methods identified such as T-Plan have been developed as commercial products and as such do not publish the
roadmapping process in the public domain. The roadmapping process in many cases appears to have developed as an ad hoc process, and methods have been developed as the process develops, often not recorded. It appears that there is a vulnerability associated with the technology roadmapping process especially when an update is required. It was envisaged that the research provided the opportunity to explore the development of an information protocol using the FV technology roadmap as a real technology roadmapping exercise to identify the issues, by analysis of the data collected, management and representation of
the information surrounding the development and evaluation of the overall roadmapping process.
v). Objective 5: creation of an information protocol
Traditionally, technology has been the focus of any roadmapping activity. The literature did not reveal any study that placed the data collected, information represented and the knowledge extracted from the technology roadmapping process at an individual organisational or sector level at the centre of any of the technology roadmapping methods identified. To date, activity to create technology roadmaps focuses on trying to get the data to fit into existing business processes. Developing an information protocol for technology roadmapping will build upon the experience gained in developing the FV roadmap. Observation of the participants during the roadmapping process, focusing on information rather than the technology will allow an information protocol to be developed that may go through several iterative stages.
vi). Objective 6: explore stakeholder and industry acceptability
The first two versions of the FV technology roadmap were very well received by the global automotive community. Although developed with a UK focus in mind, it is reported that the information contained in both version one and two have been used to inform the development of national and international research priorities and programmes, leading onto technology developments integrated into current vehicle manufacture. Version 2 focused on safety as its main technology theme, as this issue was one of the main political and social drivers in the automotive area in 2004 when version two was produced. It was not assumed that the focus of version three would remain the same; many of the issues surrounding safety in vehicles have been addressed. In the four intervening years the focus has changed somewhat towards technology that reduces emissions and supports the development of a low carbon economy. In order to gain acceptance of version three by stakeholders and the automotive industry in general, it was important to consider the design of the data collection stage of the process, so that participants were able to provide as wide a range of data as possible. Analysis of the data would identify key
themes, which may not have a technological basis, but would influence the issues represented.
In order to test the validity of version three of the FV technology roadmap, an
evaluation panel would be convened and asked to carry out three tasks; the first would be to critique the content of the Vision Strategist™ roadmap, the second task would to comment on ease or difficulty of access to the data in software format, and finally be asked for an opinion with regard to representation of technology roadmaps in either paper or software based format.