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Over the next 12 months you know where you are going with the technology? Do you know how much you will spend on it? You are just the beginning for hiking, playing firefighter and only extinguish fires as you go? How will you measure your success next year? While we begin the new year is a great opportunity to spend a little time to think strategically on where will your organization, why you are going to y and how to reach. In addition, arrive in an approved budget and set expectations.

Do not make the task of planning greater than necessary. A well thought out technology road map consists of 4 parts:

Problem statements
TMF solution
Recommended solution
Executive summary

Not these parts need to be long diatribes. In fact, more they are the least likely, they you be read by others. Think that a few sentences for each point. More details can be added later if requested. Just have a draft of a plan will put you ahead of the majority of organizations.

PROBLEM STATEMENTS

This is typically a very reactive group. Many people want to go directly to the solution without considering the problem they are trying to solve; a user has a problem and you want to repair. Be not tempted to skip this step and go directly to the solution. Slow down and make you write a few sentences on what really is the problem you are trying to address. This process exposes often you have not thought about angles and intersections with other problems in your organization. Technology problems are usually small symptoms of large interconnected systems and processes. Indicating the problem draws these connections. There may be a more unified and more simple answer. Take 10 minutes to think about before you jump.

SOLUTION (S)

Now that you have defined the problem you can approach tactics providers. It may be a single solution option-, but many problems have multiple paths to resolution. It is unnecessary to go to sea with options. It is best to keep it 3 more - a low-cost, mid-cost options and the option of Cadillac. Each option include the following:

Dependencies (if applicable)
Benefits
Disadvantages (including risks)
Cost
Chronology

You goal is to keep this brief - summary - not think verbosity. The purpose of this exercise is not to write a thesis and every detail but considered to put a framework around a discussion of the technology. Keep it simple; stick to the recommendation of sentences of torque for each point of the ball.

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION

Finally, briefly state what is the recommended solution and why. Use this part to honestly donkeys that minimum viable solution would be. We would like the solution-Cadillac, but it will be overkill, adding cost and complexity of the problem? Make sure to remember that you want a system to run with theminimal maintenance as possible. What is the right size for your organization?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Executive summary is a rollup of the cost and chronology of the recommended solutions. This will help the decision process not only identify if the costs are in the budget (or what should be ask them to budget) and resources that will be needed to run the road map.

Taking the little bit of time to find out where to spend your time and it budget for the coming year will be big profits and give you a way to measure success. If you are a show of a single person or part of a large company, is - this useful to define a course known for this next trip around the Sun. Why not spend time to make the most productive year yet!