More Templates
Other roadmapping workshop templates can be accessed here:
1) Roadmapping roadmapping (R2) template, to support review, planning and strategy for roadmapping initiatives.
2) Business model transformation, illustrating two ways of integrating the business model canvas into roadmapping templates.
3) Strategic technology and innovation management (STIM) toolkit, comprising four templates for general business application.
4) Sunshine chart, a roadmap template configured using polar coordinates.
5) Strategy map and balanced scorecard template, integrating Kaplan & Norton frameworks with roadmapping.
6) EFQM template, to support EFQM Excellence Framework through integration with roadmapping.
7) Porter’s value chain and five forces frameworks for analysis of competitive environment and value chain, aligned with roadmapping.
8) Emerging technology roadmap templates, for mapping technology-intensive industrial emergence.
9) Roadmapping change template, emphasising how roadmap structure supports change management.
10) Generic roadmap template, for general strategic application.
11) Agile roadmap template, for strategic innovation planning.
12) Product-technology roadmap template, for strategic innovation planning.
13) 'Push-me—pull-you' linking grid template.
14) 7 Ps marketing mix roadmap templates.
15) Scenario development template for exploring future uncertainty.
16) SWOT analysis template.
17) HEI strategy roadmap template for higher education institutions.
A working paper on workshop template design and application is available here.
Whilst off-the-shelf 'vanilla' templates such as those provided here can be useful, specific contexts vary considerably and templates should be applied with caution and in a non-prescriptive manner until utility is demonstrated - caveat emptor. Consider these templates a starting point (which may be sufficient), with the template (tool) structure along with the content (strategy) refined through iterative 'rapid prototyping' applications, as necessary. The process of template design is helpful in itself, to clarify language, structure and process when designing a workshop, and template creation need not take long if the context, purpose and process are clear.
Process guidance on template use is not currently provided here, apart from the 'self-facilitating' templates that incorporate process prompts. Templates can be used in various ways, and there are many design options and aspects to consider for specific applications and contexts.
The templates available here are experimental in nature, and are subject to change. Forms for assessing template utility are provided, with this working paper providing a reference point. Feedback on templates and their use is welcome for research purposes, and to improve the resources provided here - please contact me if you have any queries. All data received will be treated in strict confidence, and anonymised for any subsequent publication.
Templates may be used freely without alteration for non-commercial purposes (i.e. not for paid consulting). Internal application by firms within their own organisation is not considered to be commercial in nature. To discuss commercial applications or licensing, please email Rob Phaal.
For even more templates and perspectives on strategic technology and innovation management tools and visualisation see the website of my colleague Dr Clive Kerr.
1) Roadmapping roadmapping (R2) template
Roadmapping is a very flexible technique, and can even be applied to itself. This may sound strange and recursive, but roadmapping is an ideal way to clarify strategy, plans and resources for roadmapping initiatives, or any other business process or system. A workshop template for supporting this has been refined and tested as part of the 2017 STIM Programme.
A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
R2 template test, May 2017, in the context of a corporate merger
2) Business model transformation roadmap templates
Business models are a common focus in management, research and consulting, with Osterwalder & Pigneur's Business Model Canvas and Gassmann & Frankenberger's Business Model Navigator useful for understanding the components and building blocks of business models. However, as with most strategy tools, they are rather static in that the time dimension is not explicit, which can be readily addressed through integration with roadmapping.
An early integration with the business model canvas was observed in 2010 (Ikerlan, Spain), where the canvas building blocks were configured as layers within a broader roadmap structure, providing context for the business model perspective - along the lines of the experimental template below, aligning transformation goals with the activities required to achieve them. With the time dimension explicit, it is possible to consider development, change, evolution, disruption, convergence and transformation of systems including business models, with the integrated roadmap used to support synthesis and planning as the final step of a strategic innovation project.
Feedback on these templates and their application is welcome, with a feedback form provided to assess utility. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
In the experimental template below (based on the 'new' template here) the business model canvas is embedded as the final step of the process, to summarise the future state business model. This template is not considered to be the general case - for example, it may be appropriate to start with the canvas, to set the vision or establish the current situation, goals and way forward in more concrete terms.
A related template that incorporates the business model canvas is described in a working paper, emphasising finance and IP considerations for early stage ventures.
3) Strategic technology and innovation management (STIM) toolkit templates
A sequence of four aligned templates (toolkit) is presented here, with deployment in a visual management room in mind, for supporting strategic technology and innovation management. These are experimental in nature, and a form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the templates and their use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
Overview
The four templates are based on the scalable toolkit platform concept proposed by Kerr & Phaal (2015):
Roadmap, incorporating typical structures for industrial and business use
Linking grids, aligned in structure with the roadmap
Portfolio project selection matrix
KPI table, an extension of the linking grids
The data relationships between these tools is illustrated below, together with the proposed process, emphasising a lean, agile, visual human-centric approach, which can be enabled and enhanced by appropriate digital technology.
Templates are designed to align so that they can be set out along a wall as a toolkit, as illustrated below. Note - template sequence does not imply process sequence, which can vary considerably and may be iterative - see Kerr & Phaal (2015) for more information on tool sequencing.
Linking grid template
Roadmap template
KPI table template
Portfolio selection template
4) Sunshine chart template
This template is similar to the roadmap in the toolkit above, set out using polar coordinates rather than cartesian. The origin of this format is not clear (quite possibly independent of roadmapping) - sometimes called a sunshine chart or (generally ‘digital’) transformation map. This template is experimental in nature, and a form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
5) Strategy map and balanced scorecard roadmap template
Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard and subsequent strategy map approaches are well-known and established. However, as with many strategy frameworks the time dimension is not explicit, which can be addressed through combination with roadmapping, aligning goals with the activities required to achieve them, as illustrated in this experimental template. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
6) EFQM roadmap template
The EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) Excellence Model is widely adopted as a primary (quality-oriented) business framework. Embedding the EFQM 'enablers' and 'results' criteria within a roadmap architecture can support strategy and continuous improvement through inclusion of time as an explicit dimension, aligning EFQM goals with the activities required to achieve them, as illustrated in this experimental template. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
7) Porter's value chain and five forces analysis templates
Michael Porter's 1985 value chain framework is well established, and embedding this within a roadmap structure enables a strategic perspective, aligning value chain goals with the activities required to achieve them, as illustrated in this experimental template. Value and supply chain perspectives often form part of roadmap structures, helping organisations to understand where they sit within the broader industry structure. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
Porter’s five forces framework supports competitive analysis, with industry attractiveness determined by five sources of competition: the power of both customers and suppliers, and the threats of new entrants and substitute technologies, in addition to rivalry between established incumbents. This template is experimental in nature, and a form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
8) Emerging technology roadmap templates
The translation of scientific knowledge to economic, social and environmental value lies at the heart of modern human development. However, technology intensive innovation is an uncertain and challenging business for firms, regions and countries, with specialised methods required to support strategic innovation management, with several related templates provided here.
The template below is derived from a series of retrospective maps of technology-intensive industrial emergence (Phaal et al., 2011). The principles and checklist produced were subsequently incorporated into a workshop template and process (Routley et al., 2012), and further developed as the 'self-facilitating' template available here. This template is experimental in nature, and a form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
The 'emergence roadmap' template and process described above (Routley et a., 2012), was designed to complement an earlier 'value roadmap' template and process (Dissel et al., 2009), both of which can be downloaded below. These two templates are designed to be deployed in half-day modules, as a variant of the more general S-Plan 'fast-start' approach for application to early stage technology (push) strategy. Emerging technologies represent both opportunities and threats to the future of the firm, with this template providing a means for capturing key aspects of emerging technologies in a consistent manner. Feedback on the templates and their use is welcome, with a form for both templates available below. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
The following template supports the evaluation of emerging technologies, applicable to both firm and sector levels. This template is experimental in nature, developed in collaboration with Dr Letizia Mortara and David Probert. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
The template below supports the process of ‘technology intelligence’, with the quality of strategy and roadmaps critically dependent on the quality of information and knowledge available. This template is experimental in nature, developed in collaboration with Dr Letizia Mortara. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
This experimental template supports lifecycle mapping of industrial systems, based on research discussions within the Institute for Manufacturing in 2011. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
The following ‘Four Arrow’ experimental template is designed for transformative strategies, incorporating elements of forecasting, backcasting and SWOT analysis to identify and explore strategic options for transformation, along with associated enablers and barriers. This template was developed as part of a collaboration with Prof Yusuke Kishita of the University of Tokyo, exploring the relationship between roadmapping and scenario planning. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
9) Roadmapping change template
Strategy and the implementation of strategy is closely related to change management, the process of roadmapping, and the structure of roadmaps. The roadmap structure in the template below incorporates the ‘change equation’ (some background is available here). This template is experimental in nature, and a form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
Download template pdf
10) Generic roadmap template
The core architectural principles of roadmapping can be expressed as a simple 3x3 canvas of phases and transitions, defined by six fundamental strategic questions. Further detail can be added as required, through use. This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
11) Agile roadmap template
This template focuses on minimum viable product design, supporting strategic alignment between user needs and technological capability through the definition of key deliverables over time. This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
12) Product-technology roadmap template
This template is designed to support product-technology roadmapping, along the lines of the original Motorola roadmap exemplar (Willyard & McClees, 1987). This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
13) 'Push-me—pull-you' linking grid template
Linking grids are very useful for mapping relationships, such as dependencies, tradeoffs and synergies. Linking grids are often used in conjunction with roadmapping, with a common core architecture ensuring the methods fit and scale well together. In this context linking grids are helpful for understanding both market pull (demand side) and technology push (supply side) perceptions, opportunities and gaps. The template can also be used for mapping cross-impact dependences between, for example, technologies - note, the push-pull logic means that such grids are not generally symmetric. This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
14) 7 Ps marketing mix roadmap templates
The 7 Ps marketing mix framework is widely used, with these templates designed to support strategic marketing & functional alignment. Two similar templates are provided, in collaboration with Dr Serena Flammini, using standard cartesian and polar coordinate systems (i.e. sunshine chart - see template #4). This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
15) Scenario development template
Scenario planning and roadmapping are complementary approaches to long-range strategic planning, even if rarely used in conjunction. Where there are significant uncertainties associated with the longer term outlook in strategy, then scenarios can help to explore and understand potential future states, with roadmap connecting / bridging the current to future (and past), allowing potential paths between the two to be explored, mapped and communicated. This template, developed in collaboration with Dr Letiza Mortara, is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
16) SWOT analysis template
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats) is perhaps the most widely used strategic analysis method, although often not used to its full effect (SWOT is more than simply listing factors in four boxes). The method embedded in the template below is more correctly referred to as a ‘TOWS’ analysis, given the sequence of steps and the structured confrontation process that is less commonly used in classic SWOT, building on Heinz Weirich’s key 1982 paper.
The SWOT-based roadmapping process illustrated below shows how SWOT, which is a core element of any strategy process, can be combined with roadmapping, with the explicit time dimension addressing a common weakness in SWOT analyses. The SWOT-based roadmapping process is elaborated in this webinar.
SWOT-based roadmapping process and toolset
For an interesting and insightful review of the SWOT method see Part 1 and Part 2 of Adam Koch’s article. The template below uses portfolio scoring methods to prioritise SWOT factors, and interlinked grids to confront opportunities and threats with strengths and weaknesses, in order to clarify strategic posture and to identify strategic options and actions.
Note, the template below does not address timing explicitly, which relates to the timeframe or ‘window’ of opportunities and threats in the external environment, which integration with roadmapping helps to clarify. This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
17) HEI strategy roadmap template
The following template is designed for supporting higher education institute (HEI) strategy. This template is experimental in nature. A form for assessing template utility is provided - feedback on the template and its use is welcome. Please email Rob Phaal if you have any queries.
