A concurrent design approach for model-based technology roadmapping

Corporate research and technology (R&T) management needs reliable information for strategic planning. A commonly used tool are technology roadmaps, since they describe vision and corporate strategy for technology evolution. The process of creating a technology roadmap involves experts from engineering, product development and all support functions evaluating and comparing opportunities for incremental as well as disruptive innovation. This work describes an approach, where experts build and run models in a concurrent design environment allowing the evaluation of potential product architectures according to a defined set of figures of merit and at different time horizons. This mapping of the landscape can then inform the planning of technology investment and development. The process is illustrated using the example of a solar-electric aircraft technology roadmap.