Table 1: The Objective of Each Analysis Step Supporting the Development of a Roadmap
General Approach for TRM Implementation in an Organization Gerdsri and Vatananan propose that the implementation of the TRM process should be divided into three stages: Initiation, Development and Integration (Gerdsri and Vatananan 2007).
Initiation Stage: The purpose of this stage is to provide the opportunity for gathering and disseminating necessary information needed in later stages. In this stage, key players come together to form a core team, a group of people responsible for initiating the roadmapping process. The initiation phase is important for individual key players as well as groups to prepare themselves, by learning and understanding the TRM process. Throughout the initiation stage, members of the core team work together to customize the generic TRM concept. The purpose is to align the TRM process with the organization's strategic planning process and working culture (Phaal et. al. 2004). The success of this stage's activities can be measured through the acceptance of the TRM concept among key stakeholders and the development of a customized TRM process.
Development Stage: The main emphasis in this stage is to collect and analyze data from internal and external sources. A series of TRM workshops are organized to analyze data and present the results in the graphical form of a roadmap. Several iterations of the roadmapping process may be required before resulting in the desired outcomes (Phaal and Muller 2007). During the workshop sessions, participants from different departments work together in generating and sharing their knowledge and expertise to develop a company roadmap (Well et. al. 2004; Phaal et. al. 2000, 2005, 2007). The contributions from individuals and teams are necessary to assure the success of TRM development. The success of this stage's activities can be measured through the quality of the content presented in the roadmap, as well as the level of knowledge and experience shared among the different groups of participants.
Integration Stage: The purpose of this stage is to integrate the TRM process into ongoing business operations since the TRM initiative should not be considered as a one-time effort (Kostoff and Schaller 2001; Phaal et. al. 2001). To have a successful integration, the ownership of TRM process must be assigned and the roadmap should be regularly maintained and updated as a part of normal business operations. The success of this stage's activities can be measured through the quality of the alignment between the technology roadmaps and the corporate strategic plan, as well as the continuation of roadmapping on a day-to-day basis.