Product and Technology Roadmapping in the Mobile Phones Industry

Paper in proceeding, 2003

This paper describes and analyzes how an implementation of Product & Technology Roadmapping (PTR) in this complex context has forced the organization to adapt its organizational solutions, working practices, and communication structure. The presently available theory is fragmented in the sense that it thoroughly describes the whys of PTR, whereas the how-tos are more of a white area. Regarding organization of PTR, theory argues for the use of a central planning group, but does not consider alternatives to this solution when the number of dependencies between units increases rapidly in highly complex organizations. A central planning group will not in this case be able to dig into the detail needed for efficient synchronization between organizational units. Further, present theory does not take into consideration that different organizational units need different time-horizons, making the goals of PTR differ in a manner that affects communication between the units. These are some of the issues discussed in the paper.