Technology Forecasting & Intelligence Training
Client Problem
Our client was a major telecommunications firm (RBOC) with a research arm that included a team assigned to technology intelligence. The manager of this team, upon learning that we had developed a course in technology forecasting and assessment for the Management of Technology graduate program at a local university, requested that we present the material in-house to the team in the form of a two-day workshop. The members of this team, while intimately familiar with technologies of interest to the firm, lacked training in the analytical and forecasting techniques that would permit them to take their technology analysis activities to a new heights.
What We Did
Recognizing that the needs of corporate training differ from those of an academic program, we modified the technology forecasting outline and prepared a workbook containing materials and exercises more suitable to the corporate environment. The workshop materials included background information on technology s-curves and the dynamics of technological advance, quantitative forecasting techniques (trend extrapolation, technological substitution, learning curves), and a variety of qualitative techniques (expert opinion, delphi surveys, impact wheels, nominal group technique, morphology, and scenarios). The workshop was delivered at our client’s offices to the technology intelligence team.
Results
The workshop was received by the technology intelligence team with great enthusiasm. The team looked forward to the opportunity they would soon have to apply their new knowledge to their technology analysis projects. Some of the simpler, qualitative techniques were put into practice during the course of the workshop and were immediately applied to projects that were then under consideration. This workshop, which has received excellent reviews, was later repeated several times for a major data storage manufacturer who added it to its catalogue of corporate education offerings. Some comments by past participants have included:
“Very practical presentation — focused and fun.”
“Very impressive in experience, technical knowledge and ability to lead a class.”
“[Dr. Mignogna] knows the material and can present it to all levels of learning and knowledge.”
“[Dr. Mignogna] can simplify it for instructional purposes — yet describe complexities and pit-falls in a comprehensible manner.”
Note: Many of the concepts from this workshop have more recently been incorporated into public short courses on science & technology intelligence which is offered periodically by TEMI near its Golden, Colorado offices.
Our client was a major telecommunications firm (RBOC) with a research arm that included a team assigned to technology intelligence. The manager of this team, upon learning that we had developed a course in technology forecasting and assessment for the Management of Technology graduate program at a local university, requested that we present the material in-house to the team in the form of a two-day workshop. The members of this team, while intimately familiar with technologies of interest to the firm, lacked training in the analytical and forecasting techniques that would permit them to take their technology analysis activities to a new heights.
What We Did
Recognizing that the needs of corporate training differ from those of an academic program, we modified the technology forecasting outline and prepared a workbook containing materials and exercises more suitable to the corporate environment. The workshop materials included background information on technology s-curves and the dynamics of technological advance, quantitative forecasting techniques (trend extrapolation, technological substitution, learning curves), and a variety of qualitative techniques (expert opinion, delphi surveys, impact wheels, nominal group technique, morphology, and scenarios). The workshop was delivered at our client’s offices to the technology intelligence team.
Results
The workshop was received by the technology intelligence team with great enthusiasm. The team looked forward to the opportunity they would soon have to apply their new knowledge to their technology analysis projects. Some of the simpler, qualitative techniques were put into practice during the course of the workshop and were immediately applied to projects that were then under consideration. This workshop, which has received excellent reviews, was later repeated several times for a major data storage manufacturer who added it to its catalogue of corporate education offerings. Some comments by past participants have included:
“Very practical presentation — focused and fun.”
“Very impressive in experience, technical knowledge and ability to lead a class.”
“[Dr. Mignogna] knows the material and can present it to all levels of learning and knowledge.”
“[Dr. Mignogna] can simplify it for instructional purposes — yet describe complexities and pit-falls in a comprehensible manner.”
Note: Many of the concepts from this workshop have more recently been incorporated into public short courses on science & technology intelligence which is offered periodically by TEMI near its Golden, Colorado offices.