Technology roadmap (TRM) is considered to be one of
the most powerful techniques used to support technology
management and planning. It provides a framework for
linking business directly to technology, and thus has been
widely used within industry by individual firms, government
organizations and consortia (Barker and Smith, 1995;
Bray and Garcia, 1997; Willyard and McClees, 1987).
TRM enables R&D activities to be carried out in a more
systematic manner, by laying out explicit plans about what
technologies to develop when and how by forecasting
future trends and identifying gaps between the firm’s
current technology levels and advanced levels it desires to
achieve. It also helps a firm identify and acquire core
technologies in advance, and to share technological goals
and strategies within an organization in support of its longterm
and strategic R&D planning.