Research, Development and Engineering
The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability is the ability to investigate, acquire, develop, and evaluate technologies, solutions, and usage models that are new to the organization and might offer value. The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability covers:
- Ensuring that research into new technologies is managed appropriately, so that risk to the organization is minimized, while opportunities are maximized.
- Linking research into new technology to potential usage models that can benefit business units.
- Coordinating a research pipeline of promising new technology projects, through a series of phased investment decisions, as understanding of feasibility and relevance is enhanced.
- Managing the research portfolio to better align with business goals.
- Instilling an organizational culture that promotes research and innovation.
- Measuring the value contributed by technology research activities.
Structure
RDE is made up of the following Categories and CBBs. Maturity and Planning are described at both the CC and the CBB level.
- AAlignment
Defines how research into new technology opportunities is aligned with the organization's needs.
- A1Business Alignment
Align new technology research projects/activities with organizational goals.
- A2Intelligence Gathering
Identify and categorize information on new technologies and the potential they offer — for example, through competitive analysis, industry networking, and technology scanning activities.
- BProcess
Defines how research into new technologies is carried out.
- B1Governance
Have management and governance approaches in place to align new technology research activities.
- B2Up-front Analysis
Assess possible new technology research proposals in the light of customer needs, market analysis, financial analysis, and alignment with the technical strategy; and produce a clear product or solution definition that reduces the risk of spending on inappropriate research projects.
- B3Phased Delivery
Move approved new technology research projects to conclusion through defined project phases such as initial research, prototyping, proof-of-concept testing, and so on.
- CManagement
Defines the day-to-day management of new technology research within the organization.
- C1Culture
Promote a management culture within which research into new technology is incentivized and can thrive.
- C2Resource and Portfolio Management
Balance the new technology research portfolio in terms of opportunity, resources, risk, and focus areas to best serve the organization.
- C3RDE Impact Measurement
Develop methods, tools, and other artefacts to define and apply metrics that can be used to monitor and evaluate the impact and performance of new technology research projects.
Overview
Goal
The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability aims to identify new technologies that can deliver business value to the organization.
‘New’ in this context means things that are new to the organization, including technologies, solutions, and usage models. These could be well established elsewhere (outside the organization) but would be considered new if they had not already been applied within the organization. Of course, ‘new’ also includes technologies that are universally new or emerging.
Objectives
- Identify the promising technologies and usage models that are likely to deliver value.
- Limit investments in potentially unpromising technologies through phased investment decisions.
- Increase organizational awareness of the accepted approach for identifying and developing new technologies and usage models that are likely to deliver business value.
- Manage the pipeline of new technologies and usage models so that business value returns are optimized.
Value
The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability enables the organization to investigate how best to use new technologies and usage models to deliver business value.
Relevance
Organizations are often challenged by the speed at which new technologies emerge, and many struggle to determine which technologies are the most suitable for their particular business needs1 title="Ogunyemi, A., and Johnston, K.A., 2012. Towards an organizational readiness framework for emerging technologies: an investigation of antecedents for South African organizations' readiness for server virtualization. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 53(5), 1–30." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2. How prepared an organization is to leverage new technologies can be influenced by several factors, such as being able to spot the significance of emerging technology trends, internal resistance to technological change, or the influence of external stakeholders title="Ogunyemi, A., and Johnston, K.A., 2012. Towards an organizational readiness framework for emerging technologies: an investigation of antecedents for South African organizations' readiness for server virtualization. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 53(5), 1–30." target="_blank" rel="noopener">2.
To address such factors, an effective approach to the investigation of new technologies and how they might help support organizational objectives can offer significant value to an organization. By establishing an effective Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability, an organization can systematically investigate what new technologies and usage models could help it more readily achieve its objectives.
Scope
Definition
The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability is the ability to investigate, acquire, develop, and evaluate technologies, solutions, and usage models that are new to the organization and might offer value. The Research, Development and Engineering (RDE) capability covers:
- Ensuring that research into new technologies is managed appropriately, so that risk to the organization is minimized, while opportunities are maximized.
- Linking research into new technology to potential usage models that can benefit business units.
- Coordinating a research pipeline of promising new technology projects, through a series of phased investment decisions, as understanding of feasibility and relevance is enhanced.
- Managing the research portfolio to better align with business goals.
- Instilling an organizational culture that promotes research and innovation.
- Measuring the value contributed by technology research activities.
Improvement Planning
Practices-Outcomes-Metrics (POM)
Representative POMs are described for RDE at each level of maturity.
- 2Basic
- Practice
- Maintain a repository of intelligence sources for comprehending new technologies in targeted areas of interest.
- Outcome
- The repository of intelligence sources helps ensure the organization is up to date with technology trends.
- Metric
- Number of new technologies that are flagged for further investigation.
- Practice
- Implement basic governance practices for major new technology research projects — for example, those relating to project approval, project review, and project cancellation.
- Outcome
- There is visibility on the status and resourcing of major new technology research projects.
- Metric
- Number of new technology research projects analysed by project stage — for example, basic research, prototype, business case, recommendation.
- Practice
- Assign formal responsibility to specific employees from the IT function for the analysis of major new technology research projects and for the identification of likely benefits.
- Outcome
- A formal mandate is assigned to ensure consistent consideration of the benefits and implications arising from proposed new technology research projects.
- Metrics
- Number of proposals evaluated.
- Percentage of proposals approved.
- Practice
- Promote informed risk-taking by recognizing that discontinued projects are not failures, but rather opportunities to inform learning.
- Outcome
- The morale of employees involved in new technology research is improved, and employees are encouraged to propose new ideas and projects.
- Metrics
- Number of new ideas or projects proposed.
- Number of awards given for failed projects that generated key learnings.
- Practice
- Measure the performance impact of major new technology research projects.
- Outcome
- The transparency of major new technology research projects is increased, leading to improvements in areas such as resource allocation.
- Metric
- Percentage of new technology research projects with appropriate metrics assigned.
- 3Intermediate
- Practice
- Define a process to record and develop new technology research concepts, to record decisions, and to identify risks.
- Outcomes
- The rationale and implications of all new technology research projects are articulated, agreed, and clearly documented.
- IT and business benefits are taken into account.
- Metric
- Number and percentage of new technology research projects tracked.
- Practice
- Formally set aside resources and funding for new technology research projects.
- Outcome
- New technology research is perceived at all levels as a worthwhile and distinct activity, attracting commensurate attention and resources.
- Metric
- Percentage of the IT budget formally allocated to new technology research activity.
- Practice
- Standardize a business case template for new technology research in conjunction with other business units.
- Outcome
- New technology research projects can be more easily compared on a like-for-like basis.
- Metric
- Number and percentage of new technology research projects using an approved business case template.
- Practice
- Encourage employees from the IT function and other business units to suggest potential usage scenarios for new technologies.
- Outcome
- There is timely identification of new technologies that may be of benefit to the organization.
- Metric
- Number of new ideas or projects proposed by employees.
- 4Advanced
- Practice
- Engage with key technology suppliers on their research activities and new technology offerings.
- Outcome
- The choice of what new technology research projects to pursue is better informed in relation to emerging opportunities.
- Metric
- Number of engagements and resulting opportunities identified.
- Practice
- Collate lessons learned from ongoing and completed new technology research projects.
- Outcome
- The governance process for managing ongoing and future new technology research is improved.
- Metric
- Number of insights collected across the IT function from new technology research projects.
- Practice
- Communicate an integrated approach throughout the organization for identifying and evaluating new technologies.
- Outcome
- Duplication of research effort is avoided and research expertise is enhanced.
- Metric
- Percentage of employees who are aware of approaches for identifying and evaluating new technologies.
- 5Optimized
- Practice
- Engage with industry networks in setting standards/regulations for emerging technologies.
- Outcome
- The organization will be more informed of technology trajectories, and may be able to exert influence on its direction.
- Metrics
- Representation on relevant industry boards.
- Number of industry network events attended.
- Practice
- Continually evaluate and refine new technology research activities across the organization.
- Outcome
- The performance of new technology research improves continually — for example, in the results it delivers, in its use of resources, and in its timeliness.
- Metric
- Frequency of review meetings to evaluate contributions of new technology research activities across the organization.
Reference
History
This capability was introduced in Revision 16 as a new critical capability.
It was deprecated in Revision 18.10, being replaced by Innovation Management (18.10).