The Concepts Behind Creating and Delivering a Technology Roadmap - Assignment Example

Discuss the concepts behind creating and delivering a technology roadmap. What are the benefits gained from it? Introduction: A map in generic terms is a formula, guideline, scheme of actions plan, and policy through which a certain task is aimed for accomplishment. It could be a map to patient’s healthcare recovery, to traveling, to physical projects to technological projects. While technology mapping may enable preventing the costs, the downsides of poor policies, the possible down side its overall nature which might make it difficult achieving the goals. Hence technology mapping comes along special set of prerequisites that need to be taken into account. Technology roadmap an art or science? In some of the instances, the overall process of technology roadmap building is termed as an art. It is done so on the account of fact that it requires skills and adapatibilty against the excessively advanced knowledge that the company may seek. Constraints in achieving successful technology roadmap: The goal pursuit requires clear determination of the path to be followed. This is a generic rule for any operation or task so undertaken. The same rule applies to the field of digital technology. However, often the instances are seen where the path so adopted doesnot provide the desired results. This failure to reach the desired may be on account of number of factors. Some of these may be the result of internal poor performance, others possibly due to the external factors within the supply chain network (McKeen and Smith). Internal elements consideration: Ther internal dyanmics relating to the various variables such as the relationship between the partners, ownership versus partnerships, lag in catching on the new trends, innovations and counter innovations from the other parties. Another important factor that often leads to the failure in terms of goals accomplishment is that of the financial crunch or inability to meet up the expenditure against the given originally set forth goals and objectives.All these constraints demand setting a plan that is realistic and takes into account the facts that are aforementioned and ensure that it is a failure proof plan. Providing the alternatives: Technology road maps come along with set of constraints, restrictions which makes the overall planning relatively difficult and hard to accomplish. Preparing for the alternate route often comes along with external constraints and costs in terms of technological road map planning process. Phase wise planning: The difference between a generic plan and a technology plan is the phases that follow after the initial phase. This often results in deviation from the original path set forth. In order to ensure the technology plan is a successful one, the leading steps need to be taken into account with regard to the due actions. Following the technology map with solutions and adopting a solution centric plan is the next right step in the overall process. Based on an overall consensus, the technology related map is defined for a set of steps, agreements, and policy plan that is based on all the variables, constraints and dynamics understnding of the project that is at hand. 7 determinants of technology roadmap: A mix of seven variables and seven elements are presented as the basic components towards making up for the requirements of technology roadmap. These elements if followed enable following the technology future trends in corelation with the needs and overall excellence of the organizations (Wit and Alexander). Technology Guidelines: Assessment of the technology guideline should be part of the company policy and actions. This must be incorported into the netwrok of operations, and code of conduct on nearly annual basis. All this will lead to a regualr updating and insight regarding the original goals accomplishment and conformity to them. Guiding Principles: Principles in general constitute set of variables such as the dos, don’ts and the standard operating procedures. The same set of rules apply to technology roadmap in the form of guiding principles. It enables knowing what to produce, how to produce and when exactly to produce it. Seperating the entities in order to identify the core elements and enable addressing the components in an appropriate manner. Gap analysis: In order to make technology goal come true, number of steps need to be taken. These include bridging the gulf in areas such as overcoming the level of difficulty, enhancing the communication means along the lines of business, adjusting the working structure towards a comprehensive and open model that would enable accepting new ideas. Adding timeliness to the functions, staying abreast with the changes, developments and outside technologies. Further, keeping the doors open towards innovation, technolgoical advancments, methods and techniques and trainings also enable executing the goals of technology in line with the final desired goals. This also entails ensuring spending the capital according to the required level. Design considerations often led to constrains with regard to proper working. Checking for the design conformity in a step wise process at the end of each phase allows sticking to the original goal. Finally, bringing about coherence and synchronization both internally and in external dealing of agreements, negotiations and contracts is also an important part. Many companies often lag behind in terms of their assessment and handling of financial aspect considerations. Architectural considerations: Incorporting a new mechanism such as architectural considerations also constitute the steps with regard to guiding principles. These come in the form of service oriented models enactment. Often it is seen that the companies and the projects suffer a lag on account of poor architectural presence to the system. This aspect further includes defining the roles, the duties, the norms declaration and the expectations against a given set of environement and project at hand. Future technology: Keeping the company and project abreast of the modern trends is another integral and essential part regarding the technology roadmap following. This demands ensuring that the necessary information is extracted from the surroundings with regard to new trends, new introductions and new products, policies and schemes that are largely in practice. This may include appointing a particular individiual or team of individiuals who would invest their time, energies and expertise ensuring that that project is lined upon the modern technologies. Although the future technologies are a process that can be little assessed to complete accuracy, yet, ensuring that the R and D allows relative idea about what is to be followed and what will the future trends bring along in the future context make up for another essential consideration that needs to be taken into account with regard to the technology roadmap. This includes updating the information regarding the essential components of a digital project. The bottle neck often may come along in the form of searching for technology that is desired against the one that may be deemed suitable. This serves for a potential gap in the practical actions and the desired intentions. Clearly understanding the needs of the project, and then formulating plans and policies according to the standard methods and feasilbity factor enable achieving the plan according to the need. Ensuring that the element of innovation and staying a class apart are ensured but it must not come at the cost of following something that does not find corelation to the overall project undertaken. Time precision: Timely delivery of the reports, presenting them according to the standard methods all amount to the essentials and prerequisities to the standardized procedures within the technology roadmap. Coherence between business plan and technology roadmap: Incorporting the technology with the business plan, business values, core functions and further realistic assessment serves the key to the overall project roadmap success or failure. This often is represented as a mix of three quarters of one aspect against one quarter of the second aspect of the two mentioned above (Nasir). R & D: All of the goals, objectives and the practical work would not be possible without the presence of effective Research and Development team. The R and D team enables working towards the accomplishment of the futuristic goals. It enables keeping the pace with the future technologies and further assessing the challenges and opportunities at the same time. The R and D work enables the companies working according to theneeds of the company and with little deviation from the standardized patterns set forth initally. Migration Strategy: The migration strategy as proposed includes the elements and concepts that demand a shift from the elements, processes and functions that do not add value to the overall project. These may include the usage of a particular set of components, the software, the processes or the equipment in use. Revamping the models through new roles definition, new goals assigment constitute the objectives and core values towards the organizational roadmap in terms of technology to be pursued. Governance: Creating departments, teams and units within the organization that would allow for the following of the strategy include the functions such as strategy and tactical units. The former looks into the strategy formulating team, the latter look into the executive functions related to the strategies previously devised. These two set of variables include the operating system enactment along with the servers usage and their incorportion into the system for effective outcomes. Conclusion: it is termed that the technology roadmap has become an integral part towards the overall success or failure of organizations, projects and businesses in the modern times. Undertaking an effective technology roadmap allows completing the tasks, and fulfillign the requirements in an effective manner. Effective technology roadmap enables futuristic goals accomplishment. Further, it enables working on the skill in an effective manner. It enables attaining international solutions It directly enables overcoming the costs that are incurred otherwise as a result of poor planning. On external front it enables presenting the company and project in a professional manner, further it presents a dynamic outlook of the company and project at hand. References: McKeen, James D. and Heather A. Smith. Making IT Happen: Critical Issues in IT Management. Wiley, 2003 Nasir, Süphan. Modern Entrepreneurship and E-Business Innovations. IGI Global, 2013 Wit, Wim de and Christopher James Alexander. Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990. Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990, 2013 Read More