An overview of the literature on technology roadmapping (TRM): Contributions and trends

In recent years, technological advances have motivated industries, companies and even governments to look for an improved alignment between strategic objectives and technology management, preferably through the application of structured and flexible approaches that use techniques such as technology roadmapping. This paper presents the outcomes of a systematic review of the literature relating to technology roadmapping that was published between 1997 and 2011. A hybrid methodological approach that combines bibliometrics, content analysis and semantic analysis was applied. The results show that the main academic journals that discuss this theme are “Technology Forecasting and Social Change” and “Research-Technology Management”. Although the first paper relating to this theme was published in 1997, the number of publications on the subject only began to increase substantially in 2004. Most of the studies reviewed in this paper applied qualitative research methods, indicating that most of the research on the theme is still in an exploratory phase. The interface between roadmapping and other initiatives considered vital to innovation, including knowledge management, communication skills and strategic resources and competencies, are also poorly addressed in the reviewed literature.