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Technology Management back to top
Today's rapid rate of technical advance causes technological factors to play a crucial role in most important strategic decisions. To take full advantage of both emerging and existing technologies, a carefully-crafted technology management program is essential to the long-term success-even survival-of any large organization. Advantages such a program provides include:
- Constructing technology development roadmaps.
- Promoting technology transfer within and outside the organization.
- Identifying and mediating partnerships with academia, government and commercial firms.
- Developing new technology deployment strategies.
- Allocating R&D resources.
- Examining the financial implications of technology decisions.
- Ensuring that technology and marketing strategies match.
- Obtaining outside review of plans and forecasts.
- Defining new knowledge assets (and ways of obtaining them) that are needed to stay technologically adroit.
Since all planning is based on projections of future trends and events, TFI's forecasting proficiency provides us with a unique capability to assist our government clients in developing and implementing strong technology management programs.
Technology Forecasting back to top
Due to the increasing challenges facing our national defense, intelligence, domestic government, and homeland security communities, it is imperative that the government takes the fullest advantage of the power of effective technology forecasting. All plans and decisions, of necessity, are based on forecasts of the future. Properly focused and conducted technology forecasts can be of great value to government agencies for:
- Identifying and evaluating new technology-based products and services.
- Projecting technology advances.
- Defining market needs for new technologies.
- Projecting market adoption rates for new technologies.
- Formulating strategic models of future developments.
- Estimating economic lives and depreciation schedules for technology investments.
- Developing cash flow models for technology investments.
- Assisting in identifying new approaches to current or emerging problems.
- Providing a foundation for strategic planning.
- Motivating imaginative thinking.
To advance the goals and visions of their missions, government agencies must be able to project future developments in an organized, responsible, and timely manner. Almost two decades of forecasting experience has made TFI one of the world's premier practitioners in this field.
Roadmaps back to top
TFI has extensive experience in developing and using roadmaps to assist organizations in visualizing their critical assets; the relationships between them; and the skills, technologies, and competencies required to meet future demands. TFI goes beyond the traditional technology roadmap to include areas such as knowledge assets, services, science/research, market, capability, product/issues, and others. Advantages offered by TFI's government roadmapping services include:
- Capability-based planning.
- More effective capture and use of business knowledge.
- More effective product innovation.
- Technology planning.
- A more efficient and targeted research process.
- Assisting with science and technology marketing.
- For R&D, science, and technology management including planning, executing, reviewing, and transitioning.
- Business and value planning.
- Enhancing communications among researchers, technologists, managers, users, and stakeholders.
- Identifying gaps and opportunities in R&D, science, and technology programs.
- Identifying obstacles to rapid and low-cost product development.
TFI offers its clients the power of roadmapping for planning, communicating, adapting, and moving successfully into the future. We have produced plans for several government agencies, and were one of the leaders and lead author of the first National Technology Roadmap. We have also facilitated and produced roadmaps for satellite services and other propriety activities.
Technology Terrain Maps back to top
Terrain mapping is one of the major crosscutting analysis activities in a project. TFI uses information collected from information exchanges, forums, research funding analysis, papers and patents searches, innovation capacity survey, regulatory analysis, and university benchmarks to help its government clients map out:
- Current research projects.
- Extensions and enhancements of research projects.
- Innovation capacity.
- Supporting sciences.
- Federal and state funding.
- Local funding sources.
- Patents and papers.
- Impacting regulations.
- Identify points of intersection between institutions.
TFI's services in this area help government agencies to better understand the overall technology environment.
Focus Studies back to top
TFI performs focus studies using our multi-view framework Five Views of the Futures™ and other innovative frameworks on specific areas of technology and across technology domains to determine:
- Current status of a technology.
- Future developments using available roadmaps and other information.
- Competitive technologies.
- Forecasted market potential.
- Industry acceptance.
- Current product implementations.
- Technological issues.
We have performed focus studies for many different government agencies.
Futures Projections back to top
We excel at providing our government clients with a strong, grounded view of how to successfully move a technology or technology process into the future. Valuable insights can include:
- What is coming down the pipeline in technology?
- How will the market adapt to new technology?
- Who are the major players in the new technology?
- What are alternatives to each technology?
- What are potential societal effects?
These insights are critical to choosing a successful strategy and implementing a sustainable transformation.
Technology, Research, and Science Plans back to top
An organization that is going to be a strong player in the future must have plans and research that is based in the future and not yesterday's problems. At TFI we have a proven track record in:
- Developing future focused, actionable plans that advance the goals and visions of the government agencies with which we work.
- Assisting agencies assess their own technology, research, and science plans.
- Assisting agencies assess their own underlying technological assumptions of bidders in major transformation projects.
A prime focus of the resulting plans is a future focus that is built from our knowledge of today's capabilities, research, and future visions.
Grand Challenges Development back to top
Even the most enlightened and sophisticated view of the future is without value unless it can be related back to the organization and can be used to motivate a change in strategy, processes, practices, or a complete transformation. TFI assists government agencies in making such changes and transitions by:
- Creating Grand Challenges documents within and outside the agency.
- Vetting Grand Challenges documents within and outside the agency.
- Developing Grand Challenges documents with opinion shaping messages.
TFI's government project "NIMA Grand Challenges for 2030" is an excellent example of the focus and breadth of our work in this area.
Transformation/Innovation Development back to top
TFI has the experience, expertise, and partnerships to bring innovative solutions to bear on the critical challenges facing the government. TFI's achievements in the area of transformation/innovation development include:
- Providing long-range technology forecasts to the intelligence community.
- Playing an integral part in the creation of In-Q-Tel, the Central Intelligence Agency's venture capital firm.
- Leading the first industry national roadmap effort.
- Participating in the first U.S. consortium.
- Producing future-focused plans for more than half of the top Fortune 100 companies.
TFI provides a strong forecasting foundation, unique solutions, and a forward-looking vision to help government agencies stay on target and achieve their initiatives.
Technology Transfer/Technology Commercialization back to top
The new world the federal government faces is forcing major transformations across the breadth of the government. TFI has worked closely on several government projects to address transformations in:
- R&D processes.
- Technology transfer.
- Grand challenges.
- Knowledge management and future awareness processes.
- Structuring frameworks.
- Organizations that face the future requirements of government departments and agencies.
TFI played an integral part in the creation of In-Q-Tel, the Central Intelligence Agency's venture capital firm. In-Q-Tel assists the U.S. intelligence community to achieve its most important research and development objectives by identifying and investing in emerging technologies that serve U.S. national security interests.
Technology/Business Assessments back to top
TFI has assessed proposals, technologies, portfolios, and plans in a number of areas:
- Telecom services (for both the bidder and the agency).
- Research portfolios.
- Technical transfer plans in the federal government space.
- Acquisition assistance.
Our assessments can be from one day as a "red/blue team" participant to several months to assure that stakeholder care-abouts are being met or that the proposed plan is "future-proof."
Enterprise Architectures/Critical Infrastructure Studies back to top
TFI has provided a future focus to many enterprise architecture/critical infrastructure studies. Our critical infrastructure study produced for the DOD/DDR&E served as part of the background for the national critical infrastructure act. We bring understanding of:
- Today's requirements and care-abouts.
- Tomorrow's requirements and care-abouts.
- Best practices applied to government environment.
Telecommunications Services back to top
TFI provides information, forecasts, analysis, and strategic insights that support business decisions involving wireless and wireline communications technologies and markets including voice, video, data, and sensor applications. In terms of talent, experience, and proven track record, TFI is uniquely qualified to assist government agencies to operate effectively in the rapidly-changing communications environment. Our services can help:
- Identify, forecast, and evaluate advances in telecom technology and markets.
- Develop strategic technology, market, and financial plans.
- Provide outside review of plans and forecasts.
- Plan and supervise the installation of advanced communications systems.
- Estimate economic lives and depreciation schedules for telecom investment.
- Provide expert witness testimony in regulatory and other proceedings.
TFI's work in telecommunications is particularly valuable if you are a decision maker responsible for integrating market, financial, and technology factors, e.g., a business or product development manager, strategic planner, financial manager, and technology expert.
Survey/Interview Services back to top
TFI has often been called upon by its government clients to provide survey services, either as a separate project or as part of a larger project. These surveys have varied widely in purpose, nature, and extent and have included oral, written, and electronic input. They have included forms-based, interactive, Delphi-type surveys and interviews. Typically, survey services include:
- Definition of survey objectives.
- Developing the structure for the survey.
- Conducting the survey.
- Recording and organizing survey data.
- Analyzing the results of the survey.
- Presenting the results of the survey and their significance to organization management.
TFI has software tools in place to enhance its ability to record, collate, and analyze survey input quickly, accurately, and economically. TFI's experience in the planning, conduct, and analysis of surveys enables it to provide its clients with superior survey services.
Public Publications back to top
Technology Futures, Inc. provides its government clients and the general public with a number of publications. Some are used to support other TFI services such as training and facilitation.
- Telecom Reports
- Technology Forecasting Guides
- Futures' Features--E-Letter
- White Papers, Articles, and Reports
- Communications Reference Book
Many of the public telecom reports produced by Technology Futures, Inc. were commissioned by Telecommunications Technology Forecasting Group (TTFG), a consortium of telephone companies presently comprised of AT&T, Bell Canada, Qwest, and Verizon. TTFG was established to promote the understanding and use of forecasting to predict and support the continuing evolution of the public telecommunications network.
Facilitation Services back to top
Since its establishment in 1978, TFI has been actively involved in assisting government agencies in coordinating the activities of various individuals and groups within organizations and between organizations. The techniques employed by TFI include, but are not limited to:
- Impact Analysis.
- Nominal Group Conferencing.
- Stakeholder Analysis.
- Morphological Structuring.
- Cross Impact Analysis.
- Focus Groups.
A proprietary approach to strategy planning developed by TFI Technology Advantage Management has proven to be particularly useful in integrating various separate activities into a unified effort.
TFI facilitation services are oriented toward improving the collaborative abilities of the organization through the choice and design of the tools and professional skills in team formation. Facilitation objectives have included:
- Forming new organizations.
- Gaining coordination and cooperation between various internal groups.
- Defining R&D programs.
- Improving promotion policies.
- Promoting new cultural norms.
- Revitalizing organization professionals.
- Improving internal communications.
- Clarifying organizational missions and goals.
- Responding to competitive threats.
In addition, TFI has facilitated sessions that are intended to get teams to think outside the box with its well-acclaimed presentations on future trends. We have produced a series of seminars on technologies that are emerging from the labs and are ready for application exploitation tuned to the community of interest.
Training back to top
To help the government take full advantage of advancing technology, TFI conducts in-house training in technology forecasting, management, assessment, and planning. Since its establishment in 1978, TFI has presented several hundred in-house sessions for various companies, institutions, and government agencies. The quality of these in-house sessions is indicated by the fact that many organizations have asked us to return over and over again. Some of our popular in-house seminars include:
- Forecasting & Planning Technology
- Managing & Implementing Technology
- Telecom Trends: Markets & Technologies
- Quantitative Technology/Market Forecasting
- Forecasting, Planning & Managing Technology
- Technology Forecasting for the Telecom Industry
- Technology as a Strategic Asset
- Effective Technology Transfer
- Identifying and Evaluating Breakthrough Technologies
TFI's in-house training is an excellent way to focus on the future and create strategic plans. Advantages include the participation of an entire "team," a focus on a government agency's specific needs, and post-training mentoring.
If you believe TFI can be of assistance to your organization in the Government area, please contact us by telephone at (512) 258-8898 or (800) TEK-FUTR, by fax at (512) 258-0087, or by e-mail at info@tfi.com. We welcome your inquiries.