Exploring the Involvement of Experts in Strategic Roadmapping With Large Groups

In the beginning of traditional roadmapping workshops, brainstorming activities are conducted so that experts can populate roadmap templates. However, when large groups are involved, information management and facilitation can become time-consuming and difficult. An alternative option for improving brainstorming with large expert groups is the individual collection of information before the workshop through interviews. This article analyzes three strategic roadmapping projects in which experts were engaged using a hybrid approach, based on interviews and workshops. Based on the data collected, this alternative design was assessed in terms of impact on roadmapping design, facilitation, and experts’ contribution. As a result, despite adding a relevant effort to roadmapping teams, the hybrid strategic roadmapping approach seems to better manage experts’ involvement. In addition, individual interviews are shown to support the effective data gathering in large groups of experts, leading to richer and focused workshops in terms of information, involvement of participants, and decision-making.