Competitive Technical Intelligence (ICI-27)

Technology scouting, assessment and analysis 

The goal of Competitive Technical Intelligence (CTI) is to identify, competitive advantages in the fields of marketing, product design and research and development through technological leads. For this, the development of new technologies is continuously and systematically monitored and their effects evaluated. This begins with technology scouting, where only emerging technological developments are identified and recorded.  This continues with technology assessment, which determines the stage of maturity and the potential of new technologies. The cycle ends with the strategic analysis of the effects of new technologies on customers, the business and on competitors. This workshop is the practical application of these three steps and concludes with the added module CTI process, where the application in the enterprise is discussed. The lecturing of this comparatively complex content is supported and loosened up with live demonstrations and group tasks.

Workshop focus

Technology Scouting

What technological trends are recognizable?

• Information sources for technology scouting (specialized press, research reports from  universities and research establishments, patent databases, think tanks, conventions, trade  fairs,  competitors, etc.)
• Classification of technological trends on the basis of technical and commercial criteria,  "strong" and "weak" signals, early warning systems, introduction of suitable structures
• Tools to support scouting, e.g. database tools, mind mapping - and of course the Internet

Technology Assessment

What technologies will decide on market success in the future?

• Assessing the potential of new technologies (What can the technology achieve?): per­formance  parameters, ABC analysis, appli­cations, substitution potential (technologies), synergy  potential, technology comparisons, Delphi method
• Description of technological development: life cycle analyses, s-curves, learning curves,  roadmaps
• Environment analyses, this means the in­volvement of non-technical influencing fac­tors on the  development of new technologies (political and social trends)

Strategic Analysis

How can competitive advantages through a tech­nological lead be achieved?

• Assessing the potential of new technologies (from the view of the enterprise: what oppor­tunities  and risks can result from technolo­gies?): portfolio analyses, substitution poten­tial  (products), new markets
• Competitive analysis: technological SWOT analyses, benchmarks, specific (core) com­petence  analyses
• Technological scenarios
• Strategic implications: investment strategy, segmentation strategy, product development,  performance leadership, synergy strategy, cooperation strategy

CTI Process

How can a continuous, systematic technology assessment in a company be implemented?

• Analysis: determining goals that can be achieved with a CTI Process, deriving de­mands on the  process, identification of al­ready ongoing CTI activities and their inte­gration into the  process
• Design: definition of a preferably efficient proc­ess (trigger, partial processes, activities,  interfaces and roles) that satisfy the demands as well as the connection with the innovation- and  product lifecycle management process in the business
• Implementation: procedure to introduce the CTI process, aspects of change management (piloting,  communication, etc.)

Readings

• Software for Technological Patent Intelligence (by Juan Carlos Vergara, Alessandro Comai,  Joaqui­n Tena Milla¡n and Emecom Ediciones)
• Seeing What's Next (by Clayton M. Christensen, Erik A. Roth and Scott D. Anthony)
• Keeping Abreast of Science and Technology (by W. Bradford Ashton and Richard A. Klavans)

Articles

• Technology Mapping, Business Strategy and Marketing Opportunities, Pere Escorsa Castells (2000)