A comparative study of different kinds of technology roadmapping formats and introducing the visualization technology roadmapping

In today's high tech world, technology is an absolute need for all industries which they cannot escape from. The importance of technology in an environment of uncertainty and rapid change, force firms to apply somemethods to sustain their competitive advantage and core competence. Technology roadmapping (TRM) is one of these methods which its value for technology planning, technology selection and technological innovation has become widely recognized. This paper firstly describes different types of technology roadmapping formats along with a summary comparison of their advantages and disadvantages. Secondly, considering to various formats that were presented in relevant studies, a new technology roadmapping format called visualization was introduced. Finally, based on the experts’ opinion that are familiar with these methods, the pictorial and graphical formats are more understandable and facile for use but more difficult to generate, time-consuming and costly. In contrast, textual methods are more facile to generate, but difficult for use.