Planning a Roadmap Dashboard

Briefing

To build a product roadmap is critical for planning team as it will be a guidance for the company to deploy resources. Yet, it will be much meaningful and extremely important to find interactions among actors throughout the entire supply chain as any change makes impact on their share. A systematic and agile actor will finally dominate the market.

Here are steps for planners to develop a dashboard of roadmap so they can evaluate the impact and forecast the transition of the certain industry.

Key steps

1. Breakdown verticals or segments: it is likely that an industry be usually divided into verticals or segments. Taking projector as an example, “large venue” and “home cinema” are totally different segments regarding to using scenario and required spec. The first step should be recognizing vertical/segment and select one.

2. Breakdown the supply chain: even in projector industry, venders for “PICO” are partially different from “large venue”. Once we lockdown the target, then breakdown its supply chain. For the projector industry, it should include brands, EMS/OEM/ODM, engine suppliers, chip and panel suppliers and light source suppliers. Besides the supply chain, it is useful to remark which market are we aim at and collect relative changes that we observed.

3. Collect key players’ roadmap: there are key venders, main players and some are still small but have potential. By collecting their roadmaps and simply scale down putting into one slide then make a simple dashboard. Just scale up then we can check easily.

4. Draw competitors’ roadmap : thought we can’t get competitors’ roadmap, yet, we can collect info from the website, mutual venders or mutual clients. By doing so, we are able to predict their possible next step.

Usually, these factors drive actions:

• Current deployment has a gap to be fulfilled.

• Exists model is too old to compete with others, then it is possibly be replaced by a new one.

• New tech, platform or engine will be released, a powerful new become tech feasible and able to replace exist models.

• Demand changing in market. Preference is changing from price-oriented to spec-oriented. A higher spec product is needed soon.

The last step is putting every breaking news on the timeline for tracking. It could be new tech, platform, or engine release date (MP date), or a model that competitor possibly release. When will a regulation be effective is also recommended.

Summary and Practice:

Dashboard and timeline is just the first step, we also should monitoring transition in 3 aspects, which are: technology changes, competitors’ actions and preference changes from customers.

When any change is observed, we shall quickly review the entire supply chain and evaluate what impacts might be.

Here are 5 cases for practice:

Case 1: Engine supplier announce a short-throw lens project and invite for joining.

• What street-price would be if a product equips this lens?

• Are main players have existed models on targeting price segment?

• Is existed model too old and should be replaced?

• How much revenue can it make?

Case 2: LCD powered products were released to the market.

• If we also launch an LCD model, any impact on existed DLP model?

• How to adjust positioning on both LCD and DLP models?

• If we don’t take this solution, will competitors do?

• Check with engine suppliers if any restriction or action from TI?

• How much revenue can it generate?

Case 3: LCD suppliers announce a brighter engine will be ready next year.

• Since the dimension will be much larger then DLP, will this LCD model overlap to the higher segment (home cinema)?

• Is its dimension acceptable for customer?

• Is LCD model having enough price advantage to cover its dimension disadvantage?

• How much revenue can it generate? If we don’t take this solution, will competitors do?

Case 4: ODM is promoting new platform to brands.

• What scenario is it for?

• Can it address customers' pain?

• Can it make synergy with existed models?

• How much revenue can it generate? If we don’t take this solution, will competitors do?

Case 5: Chip supplier plan to release a new integrated set.

• Will this set make the great change on either our or competitors roadmap? Or impacts are only in gaming segment?

• This integrated set can down the BOM cost. But would it be worth for replacing existed model? Or should we take no action until existed model is ok to be replaced?