Leveraging and challenging factors in the use of technology road maps in the context of public research institutions

Abstract

Technology Plans (TP) can represent a significant challenge to the planning efforts of organizations. The most common problems are flaws in project forecasting, whether they are new products, services or processes. To perform this study, a unit analysis was selected for the survey and a data collection protocol was developed. A research - divided into phase 1 and phase 2 - was carried out in order to identify the factors that can influence the technology planning process. The first phase of the construction methodology of the current Technology Plan, which basically consisted of periodic meetings, was investigated. The second phase, the T-Plan methodology was considered and applied to the construction of a new technology plan, which resulted in a ten-year Technology Map. The factors investigated in both phases, were organized in dimensions (planning, development and implementation) that have been segmented into search variables (viability, commitment, communication, drivers, prioritization, monitoring guidelines, learning, revalidation, application and replication). The process of elaboration of the TP was analyzed considering two perspectives - quality and satisfaction - according to the perception of the respondents, depending on the interview results, they were classified them as leveraging or challenging. The unit analysis was the Center for Hydrogen Fuel Cell - CCCH, a department of The Energy and Nuclear Research Institute (IPEN) located in Brazil. The factors that were analyzed were classified, in both phases, into: (1) Leveraging; (2) Potential Leveraging; (3) Potential Challenging and (4) Challenging. After the interview process and data analysis we found the following results: For the phase 1 as Leveraging factors: we found Commitment and Communication; as Potential Leveraging: Replication; as Potentially Challenging: Viability, Prioritization, Monitoring, Learning, Revalidation and Challenging: Drivers and Application. Unlike phase 1, in phase 2 all factors were classified as Leveraging, namely: Viability, Commitment, Communication, Prioritization, Monitoring Guidelines, Learning, Revalidation, Application and Replication. This study allowed us to conclude that by applying the T-Plan methodology there is a significant change from Challenging to Leveraging factors when changing from the traditional methology to the T-Plan methodology. These results allow us to conclude from the investigated case that the application of the T-Plan methodology is both viable and even recommended in the context of technology plans for research units of Public Research Institutions.