Roadmapping for strategy and planning

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Word cloud created from 400 roadmapping project proposals (credit: Robert Phaal)

Research into Strategic Technology and Innovation Management (STIM) approaches and tools at the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) has benefitted businesses, non-profit organisations and charities in developing strategies and plans for shaping the future of their organisations.

Early research focused on roadmapping approaches for strategy and planning for businesses in technology-intensive fields where the rate of change is high and markets can be disrupted. Further research focused on the effective development and application of strategic technology management tools in industrial settings based on collaborative deployments with industry.

Developments of the approaches are refined in close collaboration with businesses from a wide range of sectors. For example, the researchers explored the deployment and customisation of roadmapping processes with the LEGO Group. Starting with a reference process, a LEGO-specific approach was collaboratively developed in the first year, building out to a full toolkit in the second year.

STIM research developed at the IfM was instrumental in developing the successful €1 billion proposal for the Europe Graphene Flagship, which is driving new approaches to workplace wellbeing, creating jobs in the UK rail sector, and guiding the development of new technologies for search and rescue by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Through its knowledge transfer arm, IfM Engage, the IfM supports translation of research into practice by working collaboratively with hundreds of organisations worldwide to develop strategy roadmaps and develop in-house roadmapping capabilities.

“The roadmap has had the biggest single impact on what we are doing in health and wellbeing and is fundamental to the progress we have made and our plans moving forward.”

– Health and Wellbeing Programme Manager at Rail Safety and Standards Board