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InnovareInnovare’’ss Technology Discovery ApproachTechnology Discovery Approach
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What Is the Tech Explorer?What Is the Tech Explorer?
• The Tech Explorer is an R&D driven process for technology discovery with support from marketing
• It provides a facilitated forum for the innovation team plus invited technology experts and lead users
• We explore current and emerging technologies, define how they can impact customer needs, and map how the technologies can enable defensible innovation
• It provides input for technology planning and helps focus concept development to be consistent with the technology possibilities while addressing customer needs
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The Core Premise of the Tech ExplorerThe Core Premise of the Tech Explorer
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Technology and Customer Needs Interact
Advances in science and technology have a dynamic Advances in science and technology have a dynamic relationship with customer needsrelationship with customer needs
•
They can be used to create solutions that satisfy existing needs
•
They can change the environment creating new sets of needs
•
They can drive latent needs the customer doesn’t even know they have
Customer NeedsCustomer Needs TechnologyTechnology
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• To achieve sustain competitive advantage innovators should understand:– How customer needs and advancing science and technologies
interact and evolve over time– Which technology can enable differentiating products with
features that excite customers
Innovator’s Challenge
As innovators we need to anticipate emerging needs and define how technologies can enable solutions that provide future performance and
delighters characteristics
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The Innovation TripartiteThe Innovation Tripartite
• During Tech Explorer projects we consider the 3 key domains of the innovation tripartite to build our knowledge foundation and basis for our technology recomendations
Need
SolutionTechnology
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Three Phases of the Tech ExplorerThree Phases of the Tech Explorer
Phase 1 Secondary Research – identify intriguing technologies that might address customer needs and conduct background research
Phase 2 Discovery with the Experts – invite selected experts to work with us and explore the state of the art and future trajectory of their technologies
Phase 3 Synthesis – define the need/technology/solution relationship, create technology application concepts, and build a road map for bringing in the technology to drive innovation
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Phase 1 Tech Explorer Phase 1 Tech Explorer –– Secondary ResearchSecondary Research
• Begin with a customer need
• Brainstorm / hypothesize scientific principles that might be applied to deliver product attributes at desired levels
• Generate a list of technologies that relay on the scientific principles
• Select the most intriguing technologies to research
UV Resist20 years Delighter ???Categorized
Requirement levelTechnology
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Individual Team Member Assignments Individual Team Member Assignments -- Tech BriefingsTech Briefings
• Each team member takes one or two topics• Explores topics using secondary sources – internet, reports… etc.
• Creates briefings– what is the technology, the IP landscape– how might the technology evolve– how might it be applied to create solutions– who are the experts
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Socializing the Tech BriefingsSocializing the Tech Briefings
• Workshop environment - 8 – 10 topics• Team members present their briefings• Team create a synthesis of findings with implications & next steps• Select experts to work with in Phase 2
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Phase 2: Discovery with the ExpertsPhase 2: Discovery with the Experts
• Brainstorm implications, applications, and impact on needs
• Create beginning technology application concepts
• Reach out to external experts representing targeted science & technology areas
• Hold workshops with experts, exploring the state of the art and anticipated trajectories of their technologies
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Phase 3: SynthesisPhase 3: Synthesis
Requires incubation time for technology application concept refinement• Research and problem solving to build concept feasibility• Vet the list of opportunities to a few feasible solutions• Prototype and test solutions
Building the case for the technology• Outline the development or acquisition approach, timing, costs• Define the technology’s impact on the customer & competitive
environment• Show anticipated connections of the technology to future product
lines • Estimate the impact on the business
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Phase 3 Outputs Phase 3 Outputs –– Concepts and Road MapsConcepts and Road Maps
• Technology application concepts – Not fully fleshed out solutions but a representation
of what we could do with the technology– How the technology impacts customer needs
• Road maps relate the technologies to future product lines
– Shows timing when technologies could be ready and the enabled new products
Current TechnologyExtrusion Thermal
Distillation
2010Time Line
2008 2009 2011
Product Lines
New Market Product Line and Technology
2007 2012
Advanced New Platform
UVNew T1
Gen 1 Gen 2 Gen 3 Gen 4
Potential Technologies
New T2Advanced Design Green T
New Products Enhanced Design First Generation Enhanced
Second Generation
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Foundations of a Successful Tech Discovery Approach Foundations of a Successful Tech Discovery Approach
• Well connected to customer needs
• Engaged multidisciplinary team
• Strong external perspective
• Broad opportunity space
• Diligent use of synthesis process to identify value paths
• Embrace well considered sciences and pursue opportunities outside the comfort zone
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What Will the Tech Explorer Provide?What Will the Tech Explorer Provide?
• A perspective of the technology landscape for the business or product area – Based on internal and external experts, both short and long term
• Descriptions of relevant technologies– How they could interact with customer needs and be deployed
• Visions for applying each technology– At different levels of customer satisfaction using a Kano model
• Needs/technology/product maps– Provides a framework for the strategic dialog, helping with R&D and
product line planning
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How Innovare Supports the Tech ExplorerHow Innovare Supports the Tech Explorer
• Tech Explorer Process Facilitation and Content Contribution– Project management– Concept Development– Product / Technology Mapping– Hands-on Science, Technology and Policy research– Training
Product Attributes
Technology Solutions
CustomerNeeds
Design Freedom Energy Weather Clouding Life Cycle
Low E
Wind Low Weight
Blast20 year
UV Resist
IGU PC layer AcquisitionAdhesive Core
GLAZING PRODUCTS
Thinner
Tolerance
Curves
EconomicalSafety
Key Point:•Needs unsupported by technology initiative - issues in yellow blocks
Key Point:•Needs unsupported by technology initiative - issues in yellow blocks
In Progress
PC Chem
Existing
Not Supported
Fire Low Build $
Moisture
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Copyright © 2000-2012, Innovare, Inc. All rights reserved.Grounded in Research, Driving for Innovation
®RIN N O V A E
In no vate: (in' ə – vate) v.
- vated, -vating, - vates.
To begin or introduce
something new; be creative.
[Latin INNOVARE
(in' ə – vär - ē)
to renew; from novus, new.]
Contact: Donald Ross Ph.D. MBA President
617-479-3818
www.innovare-inc.com