Autor: Christian Mieke

Process innovations should be planned at least just as systematically as product innovations. The process roadmapping is a methodology for illustrating development of processes and process variants in the future. Rising dynamics and increasing complexity let the availability of different process variants appear necessary. Roadmapping supports the procedure of defining process variants.

Process innovation became more and more important for producing enterprises. Under these circumstances effective planning procedures for implementation of innovations are indispensable. The article shows possibilities of acting in this management field. The approach is atuned also for the needs and conditions of SMEs.

Firms are acting more and more in networks, especially in industrial supply chains. Planning and controlling activities are realized in that supply chains e.g. for optimization of inventories. Apart from such advantages there are special risks in supply chains. In that case it is necessary to detect, to estimate and to regulate risks. Processes of control, alignment and regulation are not defined and established so far.

A wide definition of weak spots does not only allow analysing the possibilities for technical or technological improvements and innovations, but it is the basis for innovations in the companies’ organization. If a weak spot exists due to disrespect of the normative organizational structure, the management has to enforce the acceptance of the given structure. If there is a weak spot due to any mistake in the organizational structure itself, the analysis of weak spots in the organizational system provides a basis for process optimizations.

An effective technology control system is helpful for preserving potentials of flexibility. The product technology portfolio is a suitable technique for reviewing effective and efficient applications of technologies. The results are basis for decisions in technology management of firms.

Technologies have influence upon competitive ability of enterprises in global and increasing competition. Espe-cially enterprises of so called high tech branches suffer from shorter product life cycles but longer periods of development. Enterprises in developed branches are threatened by technologies that may substitute the existing ones. In these circumstances an effective knowledge management and systematic technological forecasting with methodic support strengthen the competitive ability of the enterprise. Scenario technique and roadmapping are methods that register technological trends and reproduce the knowledge about technological development. In this article the suitability of the methods is assessed and both are integrated. The combination of scenario technique and roadmapping can use the advantages of both methods.