Archived - Synthesis of Six Technology Roadmap Evaluations — Executive Summary

This document sets out a synthesis of the findings and conclusions from the evaluations of the following six Technology Roadmap (TRM) initiatives undertaken by Industry Canada (IC):

• Canadian Aircraft Design, Manufacturing, Repair and Overhaul (Aircraft Manufacturing)
• Electrical Power
• Medical Imaging
• Geomatics
• Wood Based Panel Board
• Forestry Operations.

Technology Roadmaps (TRMs) are a process tool to help Canadian industries, or sectors within an industry, identify and address the technology challenges that are critical to their future.

Conclusions From the Synthesis

Overall, TRMs were viewed as worthwhile exercises. Evaluation findings suggested that industry members recognized the potential value of Technology Roadmaps, and believe that Industry Canada provided a very important contribution to the initiatives. These factors contributed to participants' staying committed to the Phase 1 TRM process until completion.

The progress of a TRM appears to be influenced by a number of factors. It appears that having a facilitator is essential to a TRM and that the TRM collaborative approach adds significant value. Also, assessing an industry's readiness for a TRM is important, particularly the importance of industry-wide issues, an industry's ability to converge on a set of critical technologies, and the speed of an industry's technology development.

Lessons Learned

Emphasizing the following success factors will optimize future TRMs' added value to participants and to the concerned industry:

1. TRM's benefit from having a facilitator to help provide direction, momentum, enabling mechanisms, and overall secretariat services.
2. TRM initiatives should include a diversity of participants that are knowledgeable about the industry concerned, and the private sector should be well represented.
3. TRM initiatives should be designed and implemented so that they include industry champions that are, and are perceived as industry leaders.
4. TRMs should maintain their collaborative approach of bringing together and/or consulting with a wide variety of concerned industry stakeholders.
5. TRMs are more likely to encourage information exchange and partnership opportunities if company executives participate actively in the initiative. Executives will also attract other executives, and will increase the credibility and practical usefulness of the TRM.
6. TRM initiatives will progress more deliberately if Phase 1 generates a clear list of key technologies and a series of related future technology development projects.
7. The timing and design of a TRM initiative should take into consideration the industry's other macro-level business priorities and participants' potential to converge on the industry's critical technologies.