A Fuzzy-MOP-Based Competence Set Expansion Method for Technology Roadmap Definitions

Technology roadmaps have been widely adopted as an important management tool during the past three decades after their invention by Motorola in the 1980s. Technology roadmapping processes can be integrated with a firm’s competence sets and play dominant roles in strategy definitions. Although the issue of how multiple objectives can be dealt with in technology roadmaps by including the uncertainties of the modern management environment is important, it has seldom been addressed. To remedy this, we aim in this research to propose a competence set expansion method based on fuzzy multiple objective programming (FMOP). An empirical study based on the roadmapping of silicon intellectual properties (SIPs) of automotive applications will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed roadmapping method. In the future, the proposed analytic technique can be integrated with the data mining results of academic research database, patent libraries, etc. The well-verified mathematical programming method can serve as a basis for research and development (R&D) strategy definitions by managers of high-technology firms as well as policy makers of governments.